Claws protract to grip prey : Lion

Overviewing lion

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The African lion has a remarkable adaptation for hunting. Unlike other carnivores that commonly have permanently extended claws, lions (and most other cats) sport protractile claws. With this protraction mechanism, the claws are either passively retracted within the paw or actively extended out of the paw. In the paw’s relaxed state, elastic ligaments and tendons hold the claws within sheaths of skin. In this state, the claws are protected from the wear and tear that comes from walking on rough ground. Using this covering is like keeping a sword in its scabbard to protect it from becoming dull. When the lion is ready for action, it uses muscles to actively straighten its toes and extend its blade-like claws from their sheaths. This specialized arrangement enables the lion to control when to use its sharp claws for hunting, as well as climbing and mating.

Schematic of the African lion's paw Illustration created by Sam Gochman. Some rights reserved.

This summary was contributed by Sam Gochman.

References

Book
The grand design: Form and colour in animalsJanuary 1, 1970
Sally Foy

“Cats can grip with their front paws with more than just flexibility: they have protractile claws, like blades that simultaneously fire from each paw! (To call them ‘retractile’ is to misunderstand the animal’s behavior.) In a normal relaxed state the claw is sheathed, but when the paw is extended, ready to strike (in a similar move to our opening our hands wide) the curved claws project.” (Tabor 2003: 14)

Book
Understanding Cat BehaviorJune 7, 2017
Roger Tabor

“The bones at the end of each toe are usually pulled up and back by strong elastic tendons, withdrawing a lion’s claws into sheaths of skin. This arrangement keeps the claws from becoming blunted by contact with the ground as the lion walks or runs. When it needs them for seizing prey, the lion contracts muscles that straighten the toe bones and make the sharp claws protrude from their sheaths.” (Marshall Cavendish Corporation 2010: 171)

Book
Mammal Anatomy: An Illustrated GuideMarch 1, 1970

“Cats are renowned for their protractile claws. Both the terminal and penultimate phalanges of felids… are modified to allow passive retraction and active protraction… The claws remain hidden within fleshy sheaths, being held in place by ligaments and tendons, so that they are not blunted by contact with the substrate.” (Kitchener et al. 2010: 93)

Book section
Felid form and functionAndrew C. Kitchener, Blaire Van Valkenburgh, and Nobuyuki Yamaguchi

Living System/s

Organism
African lionPanthera leoSpecies

Comments

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Jennifer Schill

Dear Ivy White,

Thank you for this comment. We are reviewing this strategy to ensure accuracy. Thank you for calling this to our attention!

Regards,
Jen

Ivy White

Cats do NOT have "retractable claws". This would imply that their claws are extended at all times and that they can withdraw them at will. This is not the case. Cats have Protractile claws. This means that when the muscles are relaxed, the claws are pulled back into the sheath and only come out when the cat wants them to come out and exercises the proper muscles to make this happen. To retract is to actively pull back when in fact, it is the passive relaxation of the muscles which causes the claws to be sheathed. There are some large cats whose claws are extended like a dogs all of the time, One of these is the Cheetah, primarily as the cheetah lacks a sheath.

Nasrin Zoghbia

Each paw is equipped with soft pads to make it's movements quiet. Like most carnivores, lions are digitigrade walkers. This means they essentially walk on their toes. But, the majority of the animal's weight is borne by the main paw pads, which would correspond on a human to the palm of the hand at the base of the fingers. Extra bones in the toe joints give the toes a wide range of motion.The claws are retractible and very sharp. The retractable feature helps keep the claws sharp, and prevents injury during play, etc. The dewclaw on the front limbs is often used as a toothpick. The claws grow as a series of layers. As a layer wears, it is shed, and a new sharp-pointed claw is exposed. The claw on a large lion can be 1 1/2 inches (38 mm) or more from base to tip along the curve.

http://www.lionlamb.us/lion/lionfact.html

Tires or vehicles that function well on various terrains, safety devices for equipment that functions at various speeds, protractable awnings, protractable needles or internal medical equipment, protractable crampon/gripping footwear

AskNature Team

Jennifer Schill
Dear Ivy White,
Thank you for this comment. We are reviewing this strategy to ensure accuracy. Thank you for calling this to our attention!
Regards,
Jen
4 years ago Log in to Reply
Ivy White
Cats do NOT have "retractable claws". This would imply that their claws are extended at all times and that they can withdraw them at will. This is not the case. Cats have Protractile claws. This means that when the muscles are relaxed, the claws are pulled back into the sheath and only come out when the cat wants them to come out and exercises the proper muscles to make this happen. To retract is to actively pull back when in fact, it is the passive relaxation of the muscles which causes the claws to be sheathed. There are some large cats whose claws are extended like a dogs all of the time, One of these is the Cheetah, primarily as the cheetah lacks a sheath.
4 years ago Log in to Reply
Nasrin Zoghbia
Each paw is equipped with soft pads to make it's movements quiet. Like most carnivores, lions are digitigrade walkers. This means they essentially walk on their toes. But, the majority of the animal's weight is borne by the main paw pads, which would correspond on a human to the palm of the hand at the base of the fingers. Extra bones in the toe joints give the toes a wide range of motion.The claws are retractible and very sharp. The retractable feature helps keep the claws sharp, and prevents injury during play, etc. The dewclaw on the front limbs is often used as a toothpick. The claws grow as a series of layers. As a layer wears, it is shed, and a new sharp-pointed claw is exposed. The claw on a large lion can be 1 1/2 inches (38 mm) or more from base to tip along the curve.
http://www.lionlamb.us/lion/lionfact.html
5 years ago Log in to Reply

Claws protract to grip prey