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Webbed Toes
Webbed toes is the informal and common name for syndactyly affecting the feet—the fusion of two or more digits of the feet. This is normal in many birds, such as ducks; amphibians, such as frogs; and some mammals, such as kangaroos. In humans it is rare, occurring once in about 2,000 to 2,500 live births: most commonly the second and third toes are webbed (joined by skin and flexible tissue), which can reach partly or almost fully up the toe. Cause The exact cause of the condition is unknown. In some cases, close family members may share this condition. In other cases, no other related persons have this condition. The scientific name for the condition is syndactyly, although this term covers both webbed fingers and webbed toes. Syndactyly occurs when apoptosis or programmed cell death during gestation is absent or incomplete. Webbed toes occur most commonly in the following circumstances: * Syndactyly or familial syndactyly * Down syndrome It is also associated with a numbe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Webbed Foot
The webbed foot is a specialized limb (anatomy), limb with interdigital webbing, interdigital membranes (webbings) that aids in aquatic locomotion, present in a variety of tetrapod vertebrates. This adaptation is primarily found in semiaquatic species, and has Convergent evolution, convergently evolved many times across vertebrate taxa. It likely arose from mutations in developmental genes that normally cause tissue between the digits to Apoptosis, apoptose. These mutations were beneficial to many semiaquatic animals because the increased surface area from the webbing allowed for more swimming propulsion and swimming efficiency, especially in surface swimmers. The webbed foot also has enabled other novel behaviors like escape responses and mating behaviors. A webbed foot may also be called a paddle to contrast it from a more hydrofoil-like Flipper (anatomy), flipper. Morphology A webbed foot has connecting tissue between the toes of the foot. Several distinct conditions can ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
