Eli5: why do toenails grow at a much slower pace than our fingernails?
In: Biology
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Because they’re in socks and shoes all day. Sunlight makes nails grow faster. It’s not just fingernails vs. toenails, it’s also summer vs. winter.
Pretty sure the primary reason is blood supply. If you get a cut on your foot it takes waaaay longer to heal. I had a mole biopsies on my foot and the skin fully healed for about 4 months and didn’t start fading from a dark purple for about a year. Other places I’ve had biopsied have been good to go in a month or less and the color starts fading much quicker.
I remember reading that “physical trauma” is a major factor in how quickly your finger/tod nails grow. Since you’re more likely to be hitting things with your hands/fingers your finger nails will grow faster.
Animals with claw-like nails tend to get more wear on their front feet, because they use them to claw at things and otherwise manipulate things in the same way we do with our hands and nails, so it makes sense that they would need to grow at a faster rate to maintain their length and remain useful.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t the case with hoofed animals
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