Re: birds do not have hands

[ornstn@inforamp.net (Ronald Orenstein)]

>> As a final point, perhaps a bit picky, to be technically correct -- hands
>> are on the forelimbs of vertebrates, feet are on the hind limbs. Thus,
>> only bird's wings can have hands -- and they do, but you can't see them.

To a zoologist the hand of a tetrapod vertebrate is any skeletomuscular
structure distal to the wrist joint and its associated tissues.  By this
definition birds certainly do have hands (with carpals, metacarpals etc),
and fingers (three, to be exact) - they are simply highly modified ones.
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886 (home)
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