digitigrade adj : (of mammals) walking on the toes with the posterior part of the foot raised [ant: plantigrade]

English

Adjective

1. In the context of "of an animal": Walking on the toes, putting the weight of the body mainly on the ball of the foot, with the back of the foot, or heel, raised.

Antonyms

• plantigrade

Noun

1. A digitigrade animal, such as a dog or a cat, walks on their toes.

Antonyms

• plantigrade

Translations

A digitigrade is an animal that stands or walks on its digits, or toes. Digitigrades include walking birds (what many assume to be bird knees are actually ankles), cats, dogs, and most other mammals, but not humans, bears, and a few others (cf. plantigrade, unguligrade). They are generally faster and quieter than other types of animals.

While humans usually walk with the soles of their feet on the ground, i.e. plantigrade locomotion, digitigrade animals walk on their distal and intermediate phalanges. Digitigrade locomotion is responsible for the distinctive hooked shape of dog legs.

There are anatomical differences between a plantigrade and digitigrade limb. Digitigrade animals have relatively long carpals and tarsals, and the bones which would correspond to the human ankle are thus set much higher in the limb than in a human. This effectively lengthens the foot, so much so that a digitigrade animal's "hands" and "feet" are often thought to correspond only to what would be the bones of the human toe or finger.

Examples of digitigrades

• Birds
• Canidae
  • Wolf
  • Fox
  • Dog
  • Coyote
• Felidae
  • Cat
  • Lion
• Elephant (semi-digitigrade)

See also

• Plantigrade
• Unguligrade
• Locomotion
• Terrestrial locomotion in animals

References

• Yes, the Shin Bone Is Connected to the Ankle Bone