Think of all the things we would struggle to do without thumbs. Two stand out: eating with one hand, and picking things up. It's the thumb (the opposable thumb, to be precise) that lets the hand grip and hold on to something. By definition, a thumb is 'opposable' if it can bend and touch all the other digits of the hand, or of the foot in the case of non-human animals.

Animals With Opposable Thumbs

Animals do have an opposable thumb or toe. It may not be as flexible as ours, but it lets them do a whole range of tasks, climbing trees, gathering and eating food, using tools, grooming, and more. Among non-human animals with opposable thumbs, primates are perhaps the most popular. In fact, the opposable thumb is considered a characteristic feature of several primate families. Interestingly, though, primates are not the only non-human animals to have opposable thumbs.

Great Apes

Gorilla holding and eating a leafy branch
A gorilla uses its hand (four long fingers plus an opposable thumb) to hold a branch while it feeds.

Great Apes 4 species

The great apes, our closest animal relatives.

  • Gorilla
  • Orangutan
  • Chimpanzee
  • Bonobo

Gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos belong to the same family of primates as humans, the Hominidae family, the family of great apes. Studies have revealed that great apes share 97 percent of their DNA with us, which explains the many similarities. The anatomy of their hands, for instance, bears a striking resemblance to ours. All have four long fingers plus an opposable thumb. What's more, all except humans have opposable big toes as well.

Like us, all these species use their hands to hold tools, climb trees, move from one tree to another, gather food, and build a place to live. And they do all of it even though they are quadrupedal, that is, they walk on all four limbs. If it weren't for the much-talked-about opposable thumb, these species would have a tough time doing something as simple as peeling a banana.

Lesser Apes (Gibbons)

Lar gibbon swinging from a branch by its long arms
A gibbon brachiating, swinging hand-over-hand. It hooks its four fingers over the branch and barely uses its thumb.

Lesser Apes Gibbons

  • Lar gibbon
  • White-cheeked gibbon

Even lesser apes, or gibbons, have four long fingers plus an opposable thumb, but their thumb is longer than that of the great apes. It's worth noting that when they are brachiating (swinging from one tree to another) they do not use their thumbs at all. Instead, they rely on their four fingers, which they use like hooks. The thumb comes into play when they are climbing tree trunks or branches, feeding, grooming, and so on.

Old World Monkeys

Macaque monkey holding food in its hand to eat
A macaque grips its food. Old World monkeys have a thumb that rotates and is opposable, much like ours.

Old World Monkeys Examples

Found across Asia and Africa.

  • Macaque
  • Grivet

An opposable thumb is one of the most obvious differences between the Old World and New World monkeys. Old World monkeys are species found in Asia and Africa, and they are classified into 23 different species. All the monkeys in this group have a thumb that is rotatable and opposable, somewhat like ours. And as we saw earlier with the apes, monkeys use their thumbs to grasp tree branches and pick things up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What animals have opposable thumbs?

Great apes (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos), gibbons, and Old World monkeys all have opposable thumbs. Some non-primates do too: opossums, giant pandas, koalas, and arboreal frogs in the Phyllomedusa family.

Does a giant panda really have a thumb?

Not a real one. In giant pandas, an enlarged wrist bone called a carpal bone acts as a 'false thumb', which the panda uses to grasp bamboo shoots while feeding.

Do all primates have opposable thumbs?

No. Some primates are thumbless and rely on other adaptations like a prehensile tail and nails. Others, such as New World monkeys, lemurs and lorises, have pseudo-opposable thumbs, thumbs that are present but not truly opposable.

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Other Animals With Opposable Thumbs

Other animals that have opposable thumbs include opossums, giant pandas, koalas, and even some species of arboreal frogs. These species, however, don't use them as effectively as primates do. Opossums have opposable thumbs on their hind feet, which (along with their prehensile tail) help them climb trees when they are hunting. In giant pandas, the enlarged carpal bone, or false thumb, works as an opposable thumb. The panda uses it to grasp bamboo shoots when it is feeding.

Giant panda gripping a bamboo stalk with its front paw while eating
A giant panda's "false thumb" is really an enlarged wrist bone, perfect for pinching a bamboo stalk while it eats.

Surprising Grippers Non-primates

  • Opossum, opposable thumbs on its hind feet
  • Giant panda, an enlarged wrist bone, or "false thumb"
  • Koala, two opposable digits on each front paw
  • Waxy monkey leaf frog, a tree frog of the Phyllomedusa family

Koalas, on the other hand, have two opposable digits, which they use very effectively to climb trees, clutch branches, and hold their food. A surprise entry on this list of animals is the arboreal frogs of the Phyllomedusa family, which use their opposable thumbs to grasp branches as they move through the trees.

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Not Every Primate Has a Real Thumb

Though the opposable thumb is considered a characteristic feature of primates, it's worth noting that not all primates have a thumb. Some species are, in fact, thumbless, so they rely on other physical adaptations (such as a prehensile tail and nails) to pick things up. Besides that, some primate species, like the New World monkeys, lemurs, and lorises, have appendages best described as pseudo-opposable thumbs. In other words, these species do have thumbs, but they are not truly opposable.