tridactyl
/trʌɪˈdaktɪl
/adjective Zoology
(Of a vertebrate limb) having three toes or fingers.The foot is functionally tridactyl, with digits II - IV bound together and largely functioning as a single unit....
- In the foot, the fifth toe was reduced to a single metatarsal, and the first toe was reduced and raised off the ground, leaving a functionally tridactyl foot.
- Ornithopod prints are nearly always tridactyl with three stout and broadly spreading toes so that the resulting footprint has the outline of a trefoil.
Derivatives
tridactyly
- For starters, quail have three toes in a tridactyly arrangement.
- The revised generic diagnosis includes derived features of Archaeohippus relative to Miohippus and Anchitherium such as crochets on upper cheek teeth and reduced tridactyly, which link it with Parahippus, merychippine-grade equids, hipparionines, and equines.
- Using the JSSH classification, these 305 cases were classified into the short webbed-finger type, didactyly type, adactyly type, and tridactyly type.
Origin
Early 19th century: from tri- 'three' + Greek daktulos 'finger'.