A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes. Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or tarsus for gripping a surface as they walk. The pincers of crabs, lobsters and scorpions, more formally known as their chelae, are sometimes called claws.
A domestic cat's retractable claw in protracted position
A claw sheath from a cat
At just under a meter, the claws of Therizinosaurus are among the largest recorded.
Using its claws for anchoring, a green lizard basks.
Keratin is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as scleroproteins. Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, horns, claws, hooves, and the outer layer of skin among vertebrates. Keratin also protects epithelial cells from damage or stress. Keratin is extremely insoluble in water and organic solvents. Keratin monomers assemble into bundles to form intermediate filaments, which are tough and form strong unmineralized epidermal appendages found in reptiles, birds, amphibians, and mammals. Excessive keratinization participate in fortification of certain tissues such as in horns of cattle and rhinos, and armadillos' osteoderm. The only other biological matter known to approximate the toughness of keratinized tissue is chitin.
Keratin comes in two types, the primitive, softer forms found in all vertebrates and harder, derived forms found only among sauropsids.
The horns of the impala are made of keratin covering a core of bone.
Protein sequence alignment of human keratin 1, 2A, 3,4, 5, 6A, 7, and 8 (KRT1 – KRT8). Only the first rod domain is shown above. Alignment was created using Clustal Omega.