title: Structure of the paws in Didelphis virginiana.
abstract: The paws of Didelphis virginiana show several unusual features. They possess dermatoglyphs on the foot pads, have opposable first digits and the pads show a peculiar vascular arrangement. The hallux lacks a claw. The degree of innervation and the number and size of Pacinian corpuscles indicates that the paws of the opossum are finely sensitive to pressure and vibration.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005528:Foot / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology; D005552:Forelimb / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009893:Opossums / Q000033:anatomy & histology*