Dexterity

[MrFun]

I'm working on a new sentient species for an idea I have for a potential fantasy novel.

I got a question -- if a bipedal sentient species, with two arms and one hand at the end of each arm, has only four digits -- three fingers, and one thumb -- on each hand, how will this affect the dexterity of this sentient species?

How would this sentient species have evolved over time in adapting with the use of only four digits instead of five, in terms of being able to manipulate/exploit objects, make tools, and so on? Would this sentient species create different versions of hand weapons and tools than ones created by a sentient species with four fingers and a thumb on each hand?

Let me know how feasible this is, and anything I need to consider if I want to go ahead with this. And if you have answers to my questions above, that is great.

Thanks guys.

[Harry Tuttle]

Mickey Mouse did pretty well. You should ask him.

[MrFun]

Oh, thanks Tuttle -- I forgot to thank everyone in advance for those who provide bull**** spam.

[Harry Tuttle]

Originally posted by MrFun
Oh, thanks Tuttle -- I forgot to thank everyone in advance for those who provide bull**** spam.

You

Are

Welcome!

[MrFun]

ACK! You got the thumbs up and the smilie backward -- shame on you.

[Harry Tuttle]

I would say the only difference in four and five fingers would be in grip. Most tools are handled by the index and thumb, so the difference would probably be only in how easy it was to grip the tool. I think you need to go a little farther with the structural differences to make the species truly different from Humans.

There, see, something helpful

[Winston]

I don't see how it could make much of a difference whether there's 4 or 5 digits, as long as the thumb's located in an opposite position.

Boring.

Why not let them have 12 sexual organs, each placed in highly imaginative spots, or big purple and orange wings coming out of their hips. With sexual organs at the tips.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Harry Tuttle
I would say the only difference in four and five fingers would be in grip. Most tools are handled by the index and thumb, so the difference would probably be only in how easy it was to grip the tool. I think you need to go a little farther with the structural differences to make the species truly different from Humans.

There, see, something helpful

Oh, trust me -- this is not the only difference from humans of the fantasy world I'm constructing. Trust me.



The other difference is that this non-human sentient species will be descended from a reptilian animal, eventually evolving to become warm-blooded, capable of speech, and bipedal but retaining a scaly-type skin, and lacking hair and so on. Can't get into the details at this time.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Winston
I don't see how it could make much of a difference whether there's 4 or 5 digits, as long as the thumb's located in an opposite position.

Boring.

Why not let them have 12 sexual organs, each placed in highly imaginative spots, or big purple and orange wings coming out of their hips. With sexual organs at the tips.

I think you're stealing one of Ted Striker's ideas.

[Winston]

Make them viciously Conservative in addition, then.

[loinburger]

If they only have a thumb and three fingers then fisting would be a lot more popular.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Winston
Make them viciously Conservative in addition, then.

My fantasy world will have aspects of violence and warfare so I will already be including conservative characters for the story.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by loinburger
If they only have a thumb and three fingers then fisting would be a lot more popular.

Can you be a little more specific? You mean fisting would be a much more popular form of gripping and there would be less handling of smaller objects by using two fingers in a pinching manner?

[ajbera]

I think it would have a minimal impact on dexterity, and by extension minimal difference between tools and weapons of 3 & 4 fingered animals (the thumb ain't a finger).

However, their number system would probably be base 8 instead of base 10.

[Winston]

Originally posted by MrFun
My fantasy world will have aspects of violence and warfare so I will already be including conservative characters for the story.

Fantasy world, yes.

But remember you have to maintain a shred of believability. You see, that's why I limited my earlier suggestion to 12 organs.