Question: how did humman get toes

Michael Schubert answered on 11 Jul 2024:

Humans actually probably started out with toes! Our ape-like ancestor likely had toes that resemble the ones modern apes have: long, flexible, and able to grip and hold things. Unlike most other apes, though, humans long ago started to live on the ground, walk upright on two feet, and hunt prey by walking and running – so our long, bendy toes got in the way.

Slowly, over time, our toes evolved to be shorter and stiffer, so that they worked as a better counterbalance when we walked and ran. With these new toes, we could push off the ground to move farther and faster while using less energy. They were also harder to damage by walking or running. Other changes happened to our feet at the same time. For instance, we developed better bone support and more padding in our feet to make walking and running easier and more comfortable.

Right now, scientists think our modern big toe evolved last. Our ancestors probably used it the same way we use our thumbs, so it was quite different to our other toes and took longer to change. (We also probably kept using it that way for a while, which meant there was less evolutionary motivation to change it until later on.)

Believe it or not, our toes are still evolving! Our cultural behaviours change the way our bodies look and work. Things like wearing shoes (and what kinds of shoes we wear) can have an effect on our toes. Our average activity level as a species is also changing, which will probably have an impact on our toes. Some scientists think that our feet will get softer and weaker because we sit more, which means being comfortable is more important than being tough. There are also scientists who think our feet will get flatter and we might even lose our little toes because we don’t use them very much!