# Bearded Dragon's long finger/toe



## hobbes (May 18, 2008)

can anyone please tell me why beardies have an elongated 4th digit ?
does this have a purpose in the wild ? 
my young son NEEDS to know and since he raised the question, i'm pretty curious as well !


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## Adam W (Apr 21, 2008)

Possibly to aid grip whilst climbing?


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## reptiles_galore (Aug 13, 2008)

ours has this also, would be intresting to know!
Dave


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## Tehanu (Nov 12, 2006)

I can't seem to find anything talking about it! But I'm fairly sure the arrangement of four toes increasing in length then one shorter one is all about clinging when coming back down something.

Watch your animal climbing down something steep, his back feet rotate to cling like this;












So if you watch, when your dragon is climbing up something, the front feet do most of the gripping and the back feet may push a little depending on the steepness of the branch. When trying to come back down however, notice how the front feet do relatively little and just direct the animal, whereas the bck feet are doing all the work of staying up!


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## hobbes (May 18, 2008)

cheers Saed, 

the climbing finger certainly seems like a sensible explanation, i suppose i was looking for a more evolutionary exciting one ..... 

can i just tell the kids that he scratches his bum with it ?


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## Mitchellz (Apr 26, 2009)

My Leopard gecko has that on her back legs too, is that normal for every gecko>?


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## JustJordan (Jul 2, 2008)

hobbes said:


> cheers Saed,
> 
> the climbing finger certainly seems like a sensible explanation, i suppose i was looking for a more evolutionary exciting one .....
> 
> can i just tell the kids that he scratches his bum with it ?


go for it, i told OHs little sis (4 yrs) that its for catching crix and is like a kabab stick haha she seemed impressed :lol2:


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## tegu66 (Mar 16, 2009)

hobbes said:


> cheers Saed,
> 
> the climbing finger certainly seems like a sensible explanation, i suppose i was looking for a more evolutionary exciting one .....
> 
> can i just tell the kids that he scratches his bum with it ?



lol i like this option better too!


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## hobbes (May 18, 2008)

so it's a bum scratching, crix kebabing, ET phoning home digit

the kids will be wanting one for christmas 

( they already 'kebab' hula hoops on their fingers ....... who doesn't ?!)

:2thumb:


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## tegu66 (Mar 16, 2009)

hobbes said:


> so it's a bum scratching, crix kebabing, ET phoning home digit
> 
> the kids will be wanting one for christmas
> 
> ...


oooh i love to do that (i'm such a child) me and my dauhter sit doing it...

and as for e.t. phoneing home finger..... i think it has more of an "ouuuccchhh" look about it lol


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