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Analyses based on the function of false thumb in animals possessing false thumbs
- 1 Lanrun Angel Foreign Language Experimental School
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Abstract
Throughout history, changes in climate in their living environments have led some animals to evolve a mysterious and fascinating structure, such as a false thumb. It evolved from radial sesamoid bone. It possesses functions such as grasping, deafferentation, and weight bearing. The possession of a false thumb is one of the most conspicuous cases of convergence in vertebrates. This study analyses the function as well as the morphology of the false thumbs of six animals with false thumbs. Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), red panda (Ailurus fulgens), mole, aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) and spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) separately. And based on the Darwinian theory of evolution, there are conjectures about the mechanism behind the creation of this false thumb phenomenon. An explanation of why all these animals with false thumbs chose to evolve radial seed bones instead of modifying their existing fingers is given from a philosophical as well as a Darwinian evolutionary perspective.
Keywords
False thumb, panda, aye-aye, mole, spectacled bear.
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Cite this article
Qiu,S. (2024). Analyses based on the function of false thumb in animals possessing false thumbs. Theoretical and Natural Science,58,41-46.
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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Biological Engineering and Medical Science
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