Mastering The Ape's Nail-Clipping Technique: A Wild Adventure

Monkeys and apes have flat nails on their fingers and toes, which act as protective barriers for the skin beneath. They also help primates pick up small objects, maintain a tight grip, and perform fine motor movements. Long nails can impede their normal finger movements and ability to pick off insects during grooming. Daily activities such as climbing trees, harvesting bamboo shoots, and getting into fights with rivals may result in breaking a nail or two. Some primates bite their nails, while others leave them alone.

Biting

Primates like monkeys and apes have flat nails on their fingers and toes. Fingernails and toenails act as protective barriers for the vulnerable skin beneath, but that's not their only purpose. Fingernails help primates, including humans, pick up small objects, maintain a tight grip, and perform fine motor movements. Long nails can impede primates’ normal finger movements. For monkeys and apes, long nails could impede their ability to pick off insects during grooming. But without manicures, pedicures, or even nail clippers, how do monkeys and apes care for their nails?

Monkeys and apes have been observed using a variety of methods to keep their nails trimmed, though there isn’t one definitive habit that unites the nonhuman primates. That’s because the way they choose to groom their nails is ultimately a matter of personal preference. Biting works, as does simply waiting for the nails to grow too long and break off on their own. A monkey or ape’s daily activities probably help keep the nails short—climbing trees, harvesting bamboo shoots, and getting into fights with rivals may all easily result in breaking a nail or two. Chimpanzees, for example, usually bite their nails; some prefer to leave them alone. They do grow continuously, and nails not kept trimmed probably break off (looking at the thickness of those nails, I get the impression that this might be rather painful if they break too short.).

Breaking

Monkeys and apes trim their nails in a variety of ways, depending on their personal preference. Biting is one way they choose to keep their nails short, as is waiting for the nails to grow too long and break off on their own. Long nails can impede their ability to pick off insects during grooming, and daily activities such as climbing trees, harvesting bamboo shoots, and getting into fights with rivals may all easily result in breaking a nail or two. Fingernails and toenails act as protective barriers for the vulnerable skin beneath, but that’s not their only purpose. Fingernails help primates, including humans, pick up small objects, maintain a tight grip, and perform fine motor movements. If fingernails grow too long and become clawlike, they actually become less useful.

Continuous growth

Primates have flat nails on their fingers and toes, which act as protective barriers for the skin beneath. Nail extensions or long natural nails can impede primates’ normal finger movements. For monkeys and apes, long nails could impede their ability to pick off insects during grooming. Monkeys and apes have been observed using a variety of methods to keep their nails trimmed, though there isn’t one definitive habit that unites the nonhuman primates. That’s because the way they choose to groom their nails is ultimately a matter of personal preference. Biting works, as does simply waiting for the nails to grow too long and break off on their own. Monkeys and apes are primates, an order of mammals that have forward-facing eyes, large brains compared with their body weight, and—where other mammals have claws or hooves—flat nails on their fingers and toes. Fingernails and toenails act as protective barriers for the vulnerable skin beneath, but that’s not their only purpose. Fingernails help primates, including humans, pick up small objects, maintain a tight grip, and perform fine motor movements. Clawed mammals may be best for scratching into tree bark, digging, and climbing, but there’s no beating nails for scratching an itch or typing out a text message. If fingernails grow too long and become clawlike, they actually become less useful. Both. Many primates bite their nails. Some do not. It's not species specific. Chimpanzees, for example, usually bite their nails; some prefer to leave them alone. They do grow continuously, and nails not kept trimmed probably break off (looking at the thickness of those nails, I get the impression that this might be rather painful if they break too short.) Do all primates have to trim their fingernails in some way, or do some primates' fingernails wear off through natural use? Also, is constant nail growth common to all primates? ... Both.

Scratching

Ape's fingernails act as protective barriers for the vulnerable skin beneath, but they also help primates pick up small objects, maintain a tight grip, and perform fine motor movements. Clawed mammals may be best for scratching into tree bark, digging, and climbing, but there’s no beating nails for scratching an itch or typing out a text message.

Many primates bite their nails, some do not. It's not species specific. Chimpanzees, for example, usually bite their nails; some prefer to leave them alone. They do grow continuously, and nails not kept trimmed probably break off (looking at the thickness of those nails, I get the impression that this might be rather painful if they break too short).

Monkeys and apes have been observed using a variety of methods to keep their nails trimmed, though there isn’t one definitive habit that unites the nonhuman primates. That’s because the way they choose to groom their nails is ultimately a matter of personal preference: biting works, as does simply waiting for the nails to grow too long and break off on their own.

Personal preference

Primates have flat nails on their fingers and toes, which act as protective barriers for the vulnerable skin beneath. However, long nails can impede primates' normal finger movements and ability to pick up small objects. Monkeys and apes have been observed using a variety of methods to keep their nails trimmed, though there isn’t one definitive habit that unites the nonhuman primates. That’s because the way they choose to groom their nails is ultimately a matter of personal preference. Biting works, as does simply waiting for the nails to grow too long and break off on their own. Daily activities like climbing trees, harvesting bamboo shoots, and getting into fights with rivals may all easily result in breaking a nail or two.

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