Underside of a mole (family talpidae) forepaw. The mole uses its broad forepaws, which are permanently bent outwards for digging, to excavate the tunn

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Underside of a mole (family talpidae) forepaw. The mole uses its broad forepaws, which are permanently bent outwards for digging, to excavate the tunnels and burrows that it lives in. Talpid moles have a predigit (curved area at right) next to their thumb (bottom) called a prepollex that widens the surface area of the paw for digging and helps to brace the wrist.

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Size: 4150px × 2965px
Photo credit: © TIM VERNON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: adaptation, animal, background, biological, biology, black, bone, burrowing, claw, claws, close-, detail, digging, falciform, fauna, forepaw, hand, mammal, mole, nature, palm, paw, polydactyl, predigit, prepollex, sesamoid, subterranean, talpid, talpidae, underside, wildlife, zoological, zoology