Squirresaurus Rex

Squirrels have amazingly long claws, and close up they can look like a miniature furry T. rex.

I always thought squirrels used their front paws like hands, as rats and mice seem to, wrapping their fingers around the tidbit they're eating. But that's not the case at all. Their hands are long and fairly inflexible, and their enormous claws would get in the way of using their fingers for grasping in any case. When they sit up and hold food, they're actually holding it between the pads of their palms. There's a padded rise near the short "thumb" which helps to locate the object, but the thumb itself, and the fingers, are not involved. (Cute poses from our Suburban Squirrels. Next: Nonotchka at the Door.)