An adult Ayrshire cow was presented with bilateral hind-limb lameness 5 weeks after routine claw trimming. Examination under intravenous regional anaesthesia revealed ulceration of the sole at the toe of both the right lateral and left medial claws of the hind limbs. Radiographic examination showed osteolysis and pathological fractures of the 3rd phalanx of both affected claws. Wooden blocks we...

Although the role of colour in mate choice is well known, few tests of colour vision have been based on mating behaviour. Females of the fiddler crab Uca mjoebergi have recently been shown to use claw coloration to recognize conspecific males. In this study I demonstrate that the females use colour vision for this task; preferentially approaching yellow claws over grey claws regardless of their...

Flat nails and scutiform distal phalanges characterize the hands and feet of primates. However, these display a variety of forms and combinations: Lemuroidea and Lorisoidea have a distinct pedal grooming claw; Daubentonia has additional claws; Tarsius has two pedal grooming claws; Callithrichidae have claws on fingers and most toes. The adapoid primates Darwinius and Europolemur from Messel hav...

Two new species of tardigrades are described from Sicilian moss samples: Macrobiotus insuetus sp. nov. and Diphascon (Diphascon) procerum sp. nov.        Macrobiotus insuetus sp. nov. is a species of the harmsworthi-group characterized by both posterior and anterior claws of the hind legs, which are different in shape from those of the first three leg pairs. The IV claws have extended basal tra...

Scratches on bones have routinely been attributed to tooth marks (a predominantly untested speculation), ignoring the effects of claws, perhaps because of the general assumption that claws are too soft to damage bone. However, some pathologies appears to be more compatible with claw rather than tooth impacts. Therefore, it is critical to determine if the claws of any animal are capable of scrat...

Wall‐climbing robots have extensive applications, however, no effective adhesion system has been designed for robots deployed in high‐altitude, rough concrete buildings that are subjected to large wind loads and vibrations. This paper proposes a new suction method based on a mechanism utilizing hook‐like claws and presents the design of a robot system for inspecting roug...

Males of many species use signals during aggressive contests to communicate their fighting capacity. These signals are usually reliable indicators of an individual's underlying quality; however, in several crustacean species, displays of weapons do not always accurately reflect the attribute being advertised. Male fiddler crabs possess one enlarged claw that is used to attract females and to in...

The predation behavior of the pistol shrimp is extremely special, and process will produce a huge popping sound, which has caused extensive research by scholars from all over world. This article carried out study on rapid closing jet mechanism shrimp’s claws. A theoretical model, based hydrodynamic characteristics seawater theory fluid-structure coupling, was proposed for interaction between cl...

To reduce the potential costs of combat, animals may rely upon signals to resolve territorial disputes. Signals also provide a means for individuals to appear better than they actually are, deceiving opponents and gaining access to resources that would otherwise be unattainable. However, other than resource gains, incentives for dishonest signalling remain unexplored. In this study, we tested t...