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Humans and primates can move their thumbs in such a manner that they face opposite the rest of the fingers, thus "able to be opposed". Opposable thumbs are unique in that they allow for easy grasping of items with one hand, as well as for more fine-tune hand movements.

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10y ago

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Does a tiger have opposable thumbs?

No, They Don't have an opposable thumb But a chimpanzee does!


Do mice have opposable thumbs?

No, mice do not have opposable thumbs. They have paws with a pollex, which is the innermost digit of the forelimb.


Siamang opposable thumb and big toe?

Siamangs have an opposable thumb on their hands, which allows them to grasp objects firmly, similar to humans. They also have an opposable big toe on their feet, which enhances their ability to grip branches and move through the trees with agility.


How far does the monkey's opposable thumb move?

as far as ours can go


Which species has the most effective opposable thumb?

Humans (if being considered) do have the the most effective opposable thumbs. Next in line would be our close relative the chimpanzees


What are functions of opposable thumbs?

Basically, opposable thumbs are important to help us, primates, and panda bears, help grip things better, pick things up, and eat with one hand.We need opposable thumbs to do..well...to do almost everything!


Which joint is unique to the hand and how does the joint move the hand?

Having an opposable thumb is unique.


What is the relation between the location of the thumb to the pinky?

The thumb and pinky are opposable digits, meaning they can touch each other, allowing for a wide range of movement and grip. This opposable positioning enables precision and dexterity in tasks such as grasping objects and manipulating tools.


Based on your knowledge of human evolution how might opposable toes have been useful to humans ancestors?

Modern humans have opposable thumbs but not opposable toes.An opposable thumb means that you can touch the tips of your other fingers with the tip of your thumb, but not with any of the other fingers. This allows you to hold and manipulate objects with more precision.An opposable big toe is similarly useful for gripping objects with the feet. This would be particularly useful for an animal which climbed trees, as our ancestors did.See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumb


What is the advantage of opposable thumbs?

The advantage of an opposable thumb is to grab things. It essentially puts us high on the food chain (next to our adaptable brain). It allows us to climb, grab, hold, catch, play thumb wars (among other things). -Brett


Why is your thumb called opposable?

The thumb on the human hand has only two phalanges, or joints, whereas human fingers each have 3 phalanges. This give the thumb greater movement and enables it to do things the fingers can't do. Collectively the fingers and thumbs are known as digits. The thumb is said to be opposable to the fingers. By definition, the thumb is both a finger and not a finger. "Finger" can mean any of the four digits besides the thumb OR any digit including the thumb. It is up to the person to decide whether or not the thumb is considered a finger.


What in the world is convergent evolution?

Convergent evolution occurs when unrelated species evolve with similar features. An example of this is opposable thumbs, which primates typically have. Opossums also have an opposable thumb, and they are not from the primate family.