Only a small number of people in the world have an extra crease at the bottom of their pinky finger, and if you’re one of them, how exciting for you.
Have a look at your hands now – if you’re one of the people in the majority, then you’ll have two creases in your little finger.
If you’ve got a third one, then you’re part of a very small and rare group of people who have something called an extra interphalangeal transverse.
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That sounds very complicated, but it actually just means you’ve got an extra crease in your little finger.
Phalanges are – as you might know – the bones that make up your fingers and toes, with each finger containing three, and your thumb containing just two.
If you don’t fancy calling it an extra interphalangeal transverse, because that sounds too ‘Marvel’ for your tastes, why not call it a supernumerary digital flexion crease, instead?
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Both options are there for you.
Anyway, if you’re looking at your hands now, the extra crease will likely be just above where a ring would go on your little finger, and while most of the time it occurs on that finger, you can see them on some others as well.
There’s not much research into the subject – because why? – but what little there is tends to focus on that smallest finger.
So, as to the rarity of this feature.
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In 1978, scientists from Japan gathered data from 551 people and discovered that from the 1,102 little fingers that those people had – one on each hand, obviously – only six had this extra crease.
Fascinatingly – or not, you be the judge – all the men only had them on one little finger, whereas in women they were found on both hands.
Another study, which only took in around 307 people, suggested that the anomaly is more common in men than in women.
Obviously, that’s only a small study though, so we can’t read too much into it.
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There’s no particular reason that can be gleaned as to why this feature might appear, nor any information about whether it is linked to anything.
It’ll likely be something to do with genetics, but there’s been little scientific interest in it because – let’s face it – it doesn’t seem like a particularly useful or interesting issue to medical science.
Still, it might have a use in forensics, though.
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As it’s so rare, it could be useful in identifying the handprint of someone who was involved in something.
So, just like a scar or a tattoo or any other identifying feature, it could be used in that field.
Either way, if you just looked down at your hand and spotted an extra finger crease, you’ve now got something to tell everyone about that sets you apart from the vast majority of others.
Isn’t that nice?
Tom Wood