Tag: nut-cracking


  • The Thumb Rule: How Flat Thumb Nails Shaped Rodent Evolution

    The Thumb Rule: How Flat Thumb Nails Shaped Rodent Evolution

    The Thumb That Helped Rodents Conquer the World Rodents, a colossal group with more than 2,500 species, occupy almost every corner of the globe. A recent synthesis of museum archives, field observations, and scientific literature suggests that a tiny feature on their paws may have played a disproportionate role in their success: a flat nail…

  • Rodent Thumb Nails: How Flat Nails Shape a Mammal Family

    Rodent Thumb Nails: How Flat Nails Shape a Mammal Family

    Flat Thumb Nails: The Tiny Tool That Changed Everything Rodents are the most diverse order of mammals, thriving from deserts to rainforests and cities. A new study based on the Field Museum archives suggests a tiny feature—the flat nail on the thumb—could help explain this global success. By surveying 433 species (out of roughly 522…