Readers reply: what is the evolutionary purpose of toenails?

What are the evolutionary purposes of toenails? The man is named Gerard Marks.

New questions can be sent to nq@theguardian.com.

Evolution doesn't produce useless things. It can get rid of obstacles. The primate does not need claws. They make it hard for us to do things with our hands that are more advanced. It was an advantage to have smaller claws. The smaller claws became toe nails. There was no pressure for them to be smaller once they became small. They stayed that way.

I think they were used for climbing trees rather than killing animals on the plains. My sister has a big toe that she refers to as a worrying image.

They are also protective. If you have ever lost a big toenail and then dropped something on your tender toe, you will realize that toenails are still useful. Thomas1178

They were useful for holding onto our mother's fur. Dan Mulholland.

To stop the toes from cracking. LorLala.

You can scratch the opposing leg and foot if you keep the nails sharp. Keeping five nails in various lengths of sharpness allows you to match the nail with the severity of the itch, thus achieving satisfaction without really moving very much. Is there a person named Ibanez Jem?

The rise of nail varnish for men is unstoppable.

For the same reasons as fingernails, digit protection and occasionally weapons in a duvet fight.

Your toes are absorbers of shock. Consider how much force is put on the bottom of your toes as you run. The force has to move upward. If you only had soft tissue on the top of your toes, you would suffer a blow to the soft tissue. Toenails act as a covering to keep soft tissue in place. I had an unpleasant experience in field hockey that made me aware of the purpose of nails. I was struck forcefully on the side of a finger with the hard ball, the other side of my finger felt a blow out from the force of that strike. If I had been hit on the soft part of my finger, the fingernail would have stopped that from happening. Lillyvanilli

In the summer, you can put varnish on them. Mornex74

They add fibre to the diet. Mr.Cassandra.

They would have been used for digging, scratching and fighting when we were small. Much of that is still true. Half of the ancient creature's feet are now ours. We did not lose our nails because they still protect our toes. Our toes are made of fat around a small bone. The nail helps with grip and touch sensitivity by keeping the pad below the bone. We are social beings and have been decorating our bodies to impress others; this is the main use for the 10 canvases. They aren't hidden in shoes. Alan Bailey is a retired podiatrist.

Only a nation enslaved to shoemakers would be able to question the usefulness of toenails. How long have you been without a toe? Kids running amok have toenails that hold no mystery. PeterOrmonde is a person.

A broken nail! Can a teabag save the day?

To give the human race something to think about. Styggron.

We learned that toeing the line was more civilized than clawing our way to the top. The person is from Westmount, Canada.

In evolution, there is only an eraser. It works very slowly.

A paper with photos of someone born without toenails was identified by a scholar. The case writeup was written at age 15.

Anonychia is a very rare congenital or acquired abnormality. It could be a single feature or a syndrome. Nonsyndromic anonychia can be reported in either partial or total forms. Simple anonychia is caused by a frameshift and nonconservative missense mutations in the exon 2 of R-spondin 4 gene.

Treatments remain masterly inactive or artificial nails.

Mobility is restricted by the lack of toenails. Unreservedusername

Toenails are supposed to rip your socks. Christine Freels.

Scales on other parts of your body are vulnerable because they can be ripped off. It seems to me that the nails on your fingers serve as a base to the gripping surface on the side of the finger opposite and give you the ability to pick up very small things. Our ancestors probably had more prehensile toes than we do, and our toenails probably serve a useful purpose in stiffening the front edge of our feet. There is a person named Paulo777.

What is the evolutionary purpose of toenails? Marybeau.

The purpose of toenails is to make us feel bad when we trim them.