Colossal Claws

Many animals have sharp, dangerous-looking claws. These pointy parts aren’t just for scratching. Animals put them to use in many ways, such as climbing, hunting, and claiming territory .

Claws come in all shapes and sizes, depending on how the animal uses them. Who boasts the biggest claws? Figuring that out is trickier than you would think. 

Many animals have sharp claws. They look dangerous. Yet these pointy parts aren’t just for scratching. Animals use them in many ways. These include climbing, hunting, and marking territory.

Claws come in all shapes and sizes. Their size depends how they are used. Who boasts the biggest claws? Figuring that out is trickier than you would think.

“In most animals, a claw is the last bone on the hand or foot,” explains George Kollias, a wildlife veterinarian at Cornell University in New York. It’s a part of the animal’s finger bone or toe bone. The claw is covered in keratin, the same material that makes up our fingernails.  

Many animals use their claws to fight or hunt. For example, cats such as tigers use their long claws to grip prey. The claws of most cats are retractable. That means they can pull in their claws or reveal them when they are needed. This protects the claws and keeps them sharp. 

Bears also have large, powerful claws. Although the claws are sometimes used for defense, grizzly bears don’t usually use them for attacking. They’re more likely to claw apart logs while hunting for insect snacks. Compared with their large bodies, however, bears’ claws look less impressive than the claws of some smaller animals.

“In most animals, a claw is the last bone on the hand or foot,” explains George Kollias. He is a wildlife veterinarian at Cornell University in New York. It’s part of the animal’s finger bone or toe bone. The claw is covered in keratin. That’s the same material that makes up our fingernails. 

Many animals use their claws to fight or hunt. For example, cats such as tigers use their long claws to grip prey. The claws of most cats are retractable. That means they can pull in their claws. Or they can put them out when they are needed. This protects the claws and keeps them sharp.

Bears also have large, powerful claws. Most of the time, grizzly bears don’t usually use claws to attack. They’re more likely to claw apart logs while looking for insect snacks. Compared with their large bodies, however, bears’ claws look less impressive than the claws of some smaller animals. 

Burrowing, digging, hanging . . . many impressively large claws have harmless uses. For example, “anteaters have long claws which they use for tearing open ant nests and termite nests,” says Rob Voss, a curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. 

Sloths take nonviolent claws to the extreme. Their claws may look like daggers on their paws, but sloths mainly use them to sleep! “They spend so little time on the ground,” says Kollias. “Their claws are long and curved so they can hang from branches for days.”

The giant armadillo has the longest claws of all. On average, its biggest claw measures 20 centimeters long — nearly one-fifth of its body length. Similar to the sloth or anteater, its insect-eating relatives, the armadillo has claws that help it dig for food. 

Many super-size claws have harmless uses. They include burrowing, digging, or hanging. For example, “anteaters have long claws which they use for tearing open ant nests and termite nests,” says Rob Voss. He is a curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Sloths take nonviolent claws to the extreme. Their claws look like daggers on their paws. But sloths mainly use them to sleep! “They spend so little time on the ground,” says Kollias. “Their claws are long and curved. They can hang from branches for days.”

The giant armadillo has the longest claws of all. On average, its biggest claw measures 20  centimeters long. That’s nearly one-fifth of its body length. Their claws are similar to the sloth or anteater, its insect-eating relatives. The armadillo has claws that help it dig for food.

Animals have to take good care of their claws to keep them a healthy length. That’s why many clawed animals frequently scratch trees, rocks, and sand to trim their claws to size. If a claw gets too long, it could break or injure the animal. For animals with claws that curve, an overgrown claw can stab into the animal’s footpad. (Ouch!) Thank goodness we humans have nail clippers!

Animals have to take good care of their claws. They work to keep them a healthy length. That’s why many clawed animals frequently scratch trees, rocks, and sand. They trim their claws to size. If a claw gets too long, it could break. It could also injure the animal. Some animals have claws that curve. I this case, an overgrown claw can stab into the animal’s footpad. (Ouch!) Thank goodness we humans have nail clippers! 

A giant armadillo’s claws are 1/5 of its total body size. In which diagram does the shaded portion stand for 1/5? How do you know?

A giant armadillo’s claws are 1/5 of its total body size. In which diagram does the shaded portion stand for 1/5? How do you know?

If you had 5 giant armadillo claws lined up in a row, end to end, would they add up to the length of one giant armadillo? Explain why or why not.

If you had 5 giant armadillo claws lined up in a row, end to end, would they add up to the length of one giant armadillo? Explain why or why not.

Which sloth has the longer claws?

Which sloth has the longer claws?

Sloths are closely related to giant armadillos. Armadillos’ largest claw is 0.2 meters long. Order the following claw lengths from least to greatest: 0.2 m, 0.09 m, and 0.10 m. 

Sloths are closely related to giant armadillos. Armadillos’ largest claw is 0.2 meters long. Order the following claw lengths from least to greatest: 0.2 m, 0.09 m, and 0.10 m. 

Four bears have claws in the following sizes: Bear A (0.09 m), Bear B (0.06 m), Bear C (0.05 m), and Bear D (0.1 m). Which of the bears most likely made the print?

Four bears have claws in the following sizes: Bear A (0.09 m), Bear B (0.06 m), Bear C (0.05 m), and Bear D (0.1 m). Which of the bears most likely made the print?

Order the bears from part A from greatest to smallest claw size.

Order the bears from part A from greatest to smallest claw size.

Which of the two birds has the shorter talons?

Which of the two birds has the shorter talons?

What are 0.10 and 0.13 rewritten as fractions?

What are 0.10 and 0.13 rewritten as fractions?

While walking through the woods, one student finds a grizzly bear claw that’s 0.110 meters long. A second student finds a claw that is 0.093 meters long. The second student argues that his claw is larger by comparing the hundredths place values. Is this student correct? Explain your reasoning.

While walking through the woods, one student finds a grizzly bear claw that’s 0.110 meters long. A second student finds a claw that is 0.093 meters long. The second student argues that his claw is larger by comparing the hundredths place values. Is this student correct? Explain your reasoning.