Up Next
Back to Show
Eons
Why We Only Have Ten Toes (It's a Long Story)
Season 4
Episode 22
Today, all mammals from humans to bats have five fingers or fewer. Yes, even whales, whose finger bones are hidden in their fins. Birds have four or fewer and amphibians get the best of both worlds, often having four digits on their “hands” and five on their “feet.” But no species of vertebrates have more than five digits, let alone eight!
Support Provided By
9:35
Tiny mammals and a group of lizard-like reptiles shared a trait that helped them survive extinction.
10:43
Where the space rock came from 66 million years ago that crashed and killed the dinosaurs.
8:19
Fish evolved terrestrial traits to...stay fish?
8:10
How did the competition of spiders vs insects drive them both into the air?
