Question: Why do we have finger nails?

Verity Hill answered on 11 Nov 2018:

Primates (like humans, gorillas, monkeys etc) are unusual because we don’t have claws like other mammals but have fingernails instead. At some point primates lost claws, and it’s not totally clear why. It’s possible it’s to do with the way that primates move, and that claws would get in the way if you’re swinging between trees. Also, it’s possible that having fingernails means that we can broader fingertips, which is also useful for holding onto small branches!