ABSTRACT
METAPODIALS OF CATS, DOGS, PIGS AND HUMANS (FIGS. 55 & 56) In these groups, more than one or two metapodials are retained in each manus or pes. Cats and dogs have five metacarpals in each manus and four metatarsals in each pes. The first metacarpal is, however, very much reduced in comparison with the others. The main axis of the pes and manus lies between the third and fourth metapodials, which are slightly longer than the second and fifth. Both manus and pes are almost symmetri cally arranged either side of the central axis. Pigs have a somewhat similar arrangement, with the third and fourth metapodials much larger and stouter than the second and fifth - pigs do not possess first metapodials on either manus or pes. Humans, of course, have five metapodials in each manus and pes, with the first metapodial much stouter than the rest, particularly in the pes where it bears the whole weight of the body during walking. The first metapodial in human manus and pes is, in effect, the main axis of an asymmetrical structure.
