Ostrich People Mystery Solved: Doma Tribe Members’ Deformed Feet Enabling Them To Climb Trees Faster Not Due to Evolution but Genetic Mutation

A tribe with deformed feet considers their condition a blessing for some reason. However, their situation was not due to evolution, as they think, but due to a genetic mutation.

Mystery of Ostrich People Tribe Explained

The "Ostrich people" moniker refers to members of the Doma tribe, also known as the vaDoma or Bantwana tribe, because of their abnormally large feet. The tribe from Zimbabwe's Kanyemba region is well-known for the uncommon genetic disorder Ectrodactyly, which many of its members have.

When one or more fingers or toes are absent at birth, it is called a genetic mutation or lobster claw syndrome. Around one in every four children born into the Doma tribe are thought to have the mutation, according to estimates.

Most members only have two outside toes, which tend to curl inward instead of their three middle toes. Due to their regulations and seclusion, they have retained the genetic mutation that occurs more frequently than in any other population.

The disease is found in other groups, like the Talaunda or Talaote Kalanga of the Kalahari Desert, who are thought to have shared lineage with the VaDoma, despite the prohibitions prohibiting marriage outside of the tribe.

Although many people with the mutation have trouble walking and find it challenging to run, the community does not view this as a disability. Due to the mutation, they can also not wear shoes, but many vaDoma are averse to donning any fabric.

Instead, the tribe views it as a strength that should be cherished because it makes them climb trees fast. For community members who live a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle that includes hunting, fishing, finding honey, and harvesting wild fruits and roots, climbing trees is useful.

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What Is Ectrodactyly - Lobster Claw Deformity?

Ectrodactyly, or the lobster-claw deformity, is a rare congenital hand condition caused by the failure of the second, third, or fourth ray to grow properly over time. In every 100,000 live births, it affects 1 to 4 babies.

Although it can also happen in non-consanguineous marriages, consanguineous marriage is the leading cause of it. This deformity frequently coexists with orofacial clefting, tibial aplasia, mental retardation, deafness, and ectodermal abnormalities.

A 6-year-old boy who has had a malformation of his left hand from birth was brought to the department of orthopedics of a private medical hospital in Chennai. The hand that was affected had a broad median cleft, abnormality in the flexion of the ring and index fingers, and no middle finger.

Both foot and the opposite hand were normal. The phalanges of the middle finger were gone on radio-imaging of the left hand, except the rudimentary proximal phalanx and transversely oriented bone were visible between the third and fourth metacarpals. Other than this, there were no other congenital flaws. The child's parents were unrelated, with no notable family history.

Complete surgical removal of the transverse bone, with partial removal of the third metacarpal and apposition of the second and fourth metacarpals with absorbable sutures, results in a smaller cleft due to the therapy for this deformity. The flexion contracture of the ring and index fingers will be treated as necessary.