What Animals Have Opposable Thumbs. Humans evolved bigger brains after opposable thumbs. If you’ve bought into the urban legend of a raccoon’s opposable thumb then you’ll be surprised to find out they actually don’t have opposable thumbs.
Granted, most of these are primates, as are we. They are called “knuckle walkers” because they use their knuckles for support. Most primates have opposable thumbs, while some more surprising animals, such as the arboreal frog, koala and giant panda, also benefit from this useful digit.
In fact extra toes is a recessive gene in the main coon cats.
Though many other animals have thumbs, humans can move their thumb further across their hand than any other animal! Opossums are new world marsupials with opposable thumbs in the hind feet giving these animals their characteristic grasping capability (with the exception of the water opossum, the webbed feet of which restrict opposability). Additionally, in many polydactyl cats, both the innermost and outermost (pinky) toes may become opposable, allowing the cat to. ‘monkeydactyl’ may be the oldest known creature with opposable thumbs the winged reptile’s dexterity may have helped it climb trees during the age of dinosaurs