Claws vs. Nails - Matthew Borths
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TEDEd Animation
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Consider the claw. Frequently found on animals around the world, it’s one of nature’s most versatile tools. Bears use claws for digging as well as defense. An eagle’s needle-like talons can pierce the skulls of their prey. Even the ancestors of primates used to wield these impressive appendages, until their claws evolved into nails. So what caused this adaptation? Matthew Borths investigates.
Fingernails, claws, and hooves are all made of keratin. What are some of the special properties of keratin? Which of these properties make keratin an especially useful material to have on an animal’s fingers and toes?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Mattew Borths
- Director Nabil Burias
- Narrator Addison Anderson
- Animator Nabil Burias
- Producer Aaron Augenblick
- Music GDM Production Music
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
- Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
- Script Editor Emma Bryce
- Fact-Checker Eden Girma, Joseph Isaac
