Most mammals use claws for various purposes, climbing, grasping pray, food, fighting.
Most primates, which evolved from monkeys, do not use claws on their feet, so these have degenerated over the last few millions of years.
Hominids and later humans, who, unlike most primates, prefer to walk on their legs rather than climb trees, have no use at all for claws on their feet, therefore these continued degenerating over the last 3 million years.
toe nails could totally disappear in the futureWhat is the evolutionary reason for toe nails?
Same as the reason for fingernails.
Fingernails make it easier for your fingertips to apply pressure when picking things up or gripping them.
Our feet...or rather, the feet of our evolutionary ancestors....were more like hands than feet. Look at a chimpanzee for an example of such.
claws would not look so good in slip-slops so man decided to grow them into toe nails instead
If it's true that we have a common ancestor with other apes, then look at any type of monkey or ape and you'll see what they use them for. They help them grip when they're climbing stuff, and also some can use their feet like hands, so the toenails would be useful tools for tearing open fruit, nuts etc, much like our fingernails still are. Over the generations, the nails have probably become smaller, but haven't disappeared completely. Maybe in another few million years.
and in response to mistrydder... that's a good argument but I reckon that if we never had toenails or fingernails, the skin in that area would be really tough and wouldnt need protecting...
to protect the ends of your toes, like fingernails protect the ends of your fingers. remember, we didn't start wearing shoes until just recently.
I know one guy who keeps biting his nails. Maybe, it's just there for somehting to do if you get bored. Like an acessory. But, nails are usefull for scraching an ich too.
i vote for fingernails being for digging and scratching ( tools and weapons), and that toenails exist because that was just the economical design for DNA.
So that toenal clippers could be invented?
No, to protect the ends of the toes from rocks etc, and to help climb. Remember we are apes and our ancestors climbed. Some of us still do, but usually not in bare feet like in those good old days.
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