Alligator claws.

Alligator

Alligator claws.

"In birds of prey the claws are powerful and hooked; in others the foot is flat, claws straight, and adapted for walking."

Foot of Honey-Buzzard

"In birds of prey the claws are powerful and hooked; in others the foot is flat, claws straight, and…

"In birds of prey the claws are powerful and hooked; in others the foot is flat, claws straight, and adapted for walking."

Foot of Cassowary

"In birds of prey the claws are powerful and hooked; in others the foot is flat, claws straight, and…

"The great toe is generally the strongest, but this is not an absolute law; a projection which is found on the leg of some species is designated a spur, and is a formidable weapon."

Foot of Coot

"The great toe is generally the strongest, but this is not an absolute law; a projection which is found…

"In birds of prey the claws are powerful and hooked; in others the foot is flat, claws straight, and adapted for walking."

Foot of White-Headed Eagle

"In birds of prey the claws are powerful and hooked; in others the foot is flat, claws straight, and…

"Fig. 53 shows the lobate foot of a coot. In the lobate foot, a paddle results not from connecting webs, but from a series of lobes or flaps along the sides of the individual toes; as in the coots, grebes, phalaropes, and sun-birds. Lobation is usually associated with semipalmation, as is well seen in the grebes (Podicipedidae). In the snipe-like pharalopes (Phalaropodidae), lobation is present as a modification of a foot otherwise quite cursorial. The most emphatic cases of lobation are those in which each joint of the toes has its own flap, with a free convex border; the membranes as whole therefore present a scolloped outline." Elliot Coues, 1884

Coot Foot

"Fig. 53 shows the lobate foot of a coot. In the lobate foot, a paddle results not from connecting webs,…

"Quiscalus. Grackle. The feet are large and strong, and the birds spend much of their time on the ground, where they walk or run instead of advancing by leaps." Elliot Coues, 1884

Grackle Foot

"Quiscalus. Grackle. The feet are large and strong, and the birds spend much of their time on the ground,…

Foot of Yellow Wagtail.

Wagtail Foot

Foot of Yellow Wagtail.

Foot of Water-ousel.

Water-ousel Foot

Foot of Water-ousel.

(Archeopteryx macrocrura), an ancient bird fossil showing claws.

Fossil

(Archeopteryx macrocrura), an ancient bird fossil showing claws.

"GAMBE. An obsolete French word, signifying a leg, and is still used in Heraldry, for the leg of a lion or other creature borne in coats of arms." -Hall, 1862

Gambe

"GAMBE. An obsolete French word, signifying a leg, and is still used in Heraldry, for the leg of a lion…

Golden eagle claws.

Golden Eagle

Golden eagle claws.

Claws of a great gray kangaroo.

Kangaroo

Claws of a great gray kangaroo.

Macaw claws.

Macaw

Macaw claws.

"The great toe is generally the strongest, but this is not an absolute law; a projection which is found on the leg of some species is designated a spur, and is a formidable weapon."

Foot of Pheasant

"The great toe is generally the strongest, but this is not an absolute law; a projection which is found…

"The constellation which is prominent in early summer in the skies of the southern United States (where the whole of the magnificent tail clears the horizon), contains the first magnitude red star Antares and several of the second magnitude. With the Chaldeans and Greeks is extended over one sixth of the planetary circle, the scorpion being represented with exaggerated claw embracing a circular space where Libra is now placed." —Whitney, 1889

The Scorpio Constellation, with Libra

"The constellation which is prominent in early summer in the skies of the southern United States (where…

The Black Rock Scorpion (Scorpio (Buthus) Afer), "seen from above. At, the chelicerae, or chelate antennae; the large claws are chelate pedipalpi; Cth, cephalothorax; the first two legs are cephalic appendages, the next two thoracic; Tn, the telson or sting." -Whitney, 1911

Black Rock Scorpion

The Black Rock Scorpion (Scorpio (Buthus) Afer), "seen from above. At, the chelicerae, or chelate antennae;…

The claws of a seal's left hind foot.

Seal

The claws of a seal's left hind foot.

"In Greek mythology, one of two, or three, or an indeterminate number of sea-nymphs who by their singing fascinated those who sailed by their island, and destroyed them. In works of art they are represented as having the head, arms, and generally the bust of a young woman, the wings and lower part of the body, or sometimes only the feet, of a bird." —Whitney, 1889.
<p>This illustration is of two of the sirens depicted on a funeral marble in Chios. The top siren appears to be dancing. The one on the bottom is playing an instrument.

Sirens on a Greek Funeral Marble

"In Greek mythology, one of two, or three, or an indeterminate number of sea-nymphs who by their singing…

The claws of a skylark.

Skylark

The claws of a skylark.

The foot of a tiger.

Tiger's Foot

The foot of a tiger.

The foot of a tiger.

Tiger's Foot

The foot of a tiger.

Water monitor claws.

Water Monitor

Water monitor claws.

Wolf claws.

Wolf

Wolf claws.