![]() If you should lose a thumb, fear not, says Katz. These include orangutans, chimpanzees, a phylum of frogs known as phyllomedusa, some lemurs, and giant pandas-although their thumb-like apparatus is really just an extra sesamoid bone that acts like a thumb. A handful of other animals, mostly primates, have opposable thumbs, or toes, as the case may be. It evolved in such a way that we can use it to do so many amazing things, and it's one of the things that separates us from other animals," Bergin says. ![]() THE THUMB SEPARATES US FROM OTHER ANIMALS. The reason is because there's a big artery in the thumb, the princeps pollicis artery, and arteries pulse, making it difficult to feel a pulse in a neck if you're using your thumb. You might have noticed that medical professionals take a pulse with the middle and index finger. "Some say this is why we have language," he says, "because we can hold things in our hands and use our mouths for something else-such as discussing the functions of the thumb." 2. Moreover, Fishman says, it may have even contributed to our cognitive function. The evolution of a thumb helped our ancestors evolve to be better at defense, allowing for throwing and clubbing activities. OPPOSABLE THUMBS MAY HAVE FREED UP OUR ANCESTORS' MOUTHS FOR LANGUAGE. This is why they're known as "opposable thumbs." To bring you these 11 facts about the thumb, Mental Floss spoke with three experts on this unique digit: Barbara Bergin, an orthopedic surgeon in Houston Loren Fishman, medical director of Manhattan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, in NYC and Ryan Katz, attending hand surgeon at the Curtis Hand Center, located at the Medstar Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. Thumbs only have two bones, so they're obviously shorter, and they play a very important role that no other finger can claim thanks to their unique saddle-like joint shape, and a little muscle known as the abductor pollicis brevis, you can bend and stretch your thumbs opposite your fingers to grip things. When it comes to the fingers on your hand, the thumb definitely does its own thing. Think of it as a mini digital encyclopedia with a dose of wow. Our series The Body explores human anatomy, part by part. And yet most of us don't know enough about it: its features, functions, quirks, and mysteries. For each one of us, it's the most intimate object we know. ![]()
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