Meeting Abstract
Felids differ widely in their predatory behavior, prey preferences, habitat preferences, and locomotion and have evolved unique anatomical adaptations to this end. While there has been much focus on the limbs and head, relatively little attention has been paid to the unguals. Ungual morphology and range of motion is interrelated with limb anatomy due to their role in both locomotion and predatory activities. This study applied a geometric morphometric analysis to over 180 individual claws representing 18 extant felid species. Results of principal components analysis (PCA) show that the majority of variation between species is explained by differences in the relative robustness (height vs. length) of the proximal ungual and degree of curvature in the keratinous sheath. Further analysis suggests that large and small prey specialists significantly differ from each other, while generalists are more variable. Results confirm the extreme specialization of cheetahs, whose claws are unlike those of all other living felids. Claw morphology is also strongly influenced by whether the species lives primarily in an open or closed habitat. These results have important implications for how we understand the anatomy and function of claws in felids, while creating a basis for determining ecological traits of extinct felids and other fossil carnivores. Studies like this provide the opportunity to examine the evolution of tetrapod unguals and identify ecomorphological traits common to particular niches.
