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September 15

the dual of polydactyly

Polydactyly happens. But do people ever grow a finger with an extra joint? —Tamfang (talk) 05:44, 15 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Googling finger with an extra joint the first hit is our very own article Triphalangeal thumb. The first page of search results only mentions an extra crease on the little finger, with no underlying extra bones. But scroll down on the results, maybe you'll get lucky! 85.76.83.87 (talk) 14:54, 15 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Gull with injured foot

Take a look at this video from a YouTube channel I follow. Steven the seagull injured her (yeah, Steven turned out to be female, but the name stuck anyway) foot somehow. Accident, fight, attack by a predator - whatever happened, the webbing between her toes got split. Does anyone know if that will grow back eventually? Iloveparrots (talk) 21:44, 15 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

From Regeneration (biology) § Aves (birds): Owing to a limited literature on the subject, birds are believed to have very limited regenerative abilities as adults. I was able to find an issue of a waterfowl newsletter with a picture of a duck's foot webbing, apparently torn and partially regrown. Based on this, I think it's very likely to grow back somewhat, but perhaps less likely to grow back completely. I'm rooting for Steven though! jlwoodwa (talk) 01:52, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

She's been getting her foot doused with antiseptic and eats a REALLY good diet for an urban gull (fresh fish, fresh meat, mealworms daily), so she's in a better position than most. Iloveparrots (talk) 13:37, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably it could only heal if the split was mechanically sealed first. If the surfaces keep moving relative to each other or they get dirty I don't see how the split can heal. Shantavira|^{feed me} 08:23, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Reminds me of Paul Temple's wife! 2A00:23C5:E161:9200:D500:7967:3BC2:6E0B (talk) 10:04, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I was thinking that it might grow back from the bottom outwards. Not really sure how it works in gulls, compared to us, if we split that thin bit of flesh between thumb and forefinger. Iloveparrots (talk) 13:34, 16 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

My experience with wildlife rehabilitation, including occasional avians and waterfowl, but not gulls, suggests to me that it will not substantially regrow. In most animals with thin membranes of this sort, post-developmental regeneration is extremely limited once the semi-vascularized tissues are torn; the cells are of differentiated types which simply are not capable of interacting in the manner necessary to reconstruct the overall structure, instead prioritizing more localized closure of the wound site. In short, Steven will probably see an uneven healing pattern around the periphery of the torn segment with some thick scarification. I wouldn't expect more than 5-10% of the gap to fill.

That said, while webbing is obviously a helpful adaptation for gulls, tears of this sort are not uncommon and typically not life threatening (either through initial infection or dehabilitation). Considering that Steven seems to have a much more robust support network than your average gull and lives in sheltered semi-urban, semi-natural conditions, she can probably be expected to have a fair long life by gull standards. Please feel free to update me about the foot if my conjecture proves wrong: I'd be interested in the outcome. SnowRise ^{let's rap} 00:22, 22 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]