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A microscopic study of the marmoset claw and nail
Author(s) -
Thorndike Elizabeth E.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.1330280314
Subject(s) - claw , marmoset , nail (fastener) , terminal (telecommunication) , anatomy , matrix (chemical analysis) , numerical digit , biology , mathematics , paleontology , materials science , computer science , engineering , arithmetic , structural engineering , composite material , ecology , telecommunications
Abstract W. E. Le Gros Clark concluded in his study of the problem of the primate claw that the essential difference between claw and nail is the presence of a terminal matrix associated with a deep layer in the claw, whereas neither terminal matrix nor deep layer exists in the nail. He demonstrated that the marmoset claw (which tips every digit except the hallux) has a thin deep layer and a recognizable terminal matrix. The present paper reports and discusses evidence that the marmoset nail also has a deep layer and terminal matrix. Although the importance of these structures in the claw is not disputed, it appears that these can no longer be considered absolute differences between claw and nail. On the basis of this evidence, it cannot be claimed that the presence of the deep layer and terminal matrix determines the distinctive shape of the claw as opposed to the nail.