Digitigrade animals walk on their distal and intermediate phalanges; more than one segment of the digit makes contact with the ground, either directly (as in birds) or via paw-pads (as in dogs and cats).

Apr 29, 2025 · Digitigrade is a common characteristic of mammals and birds, but it does not encompass all species of either class of animals. Humans, baboons, and bears are notable exceptions to the …

Jan 30, 2025 · To put it simply, mammals that walk digitigrade are those that walk on their toes instead of touching the ground using their heels. It’s why a dog’s leg has that distinctive hook shape.

The meaning of DIGITIGRADE is walking on the digits with the posterior of the foot more or less raised. How to use digitigrade in a sentence.

…of cursorial species may be digitigrade (the complete digits contacting the ground, as in dogs) or unguligrade (only tips of digits contacting the ground, as in horses).

Dec 14, 2025 · Noun [edit] digitigrade (plural digitigrades) (zoology, chiefly in the plural) A digitigrade animal; an animal that walks on its toes, such as a cat or a dog.

digitigrade, adj. & n. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary

Mammals have three stances based upon how the bones in their feet touch the ground. These stances are plantigrade, digitigrade, and unguligrade. They are represented here by the squirrel, the cyote, …

2 meanings: 1. (of dogs, cats, horses, etc) walking so that only the toes touch the ground 2. a digitigrade animal.... Click for more definitions.

Dec 7, 2018 · Digitigrades is one of the classifications of animals based on locomotion. Digitigrades walk on their toes. Learn more about digitigrade and semi-digitigrade animals.