Metacarpal bones Metacarpal bones In human anatomy, the metacarpal bones or metacarpus, form the intermediate part of the skeletal hand located between the phalanges of the fingers and the carpal bones of the wrist which forms the connection to the forearm. The metacarpal bones are equivalent to the metatarsal bones in the foot. The metacarpals form a transverse arch to which the rigid row of distal carpal bones are fixed. The peripheral metacarpals (those of the thumb and little finger) form the sides of the cup of the palmar gutter and as they are brought together they deepen this concavity. The index
Ostromia addition, the ungual (claw) of the first digit of the hand is smaller than the corresponding first metacarpal, while in "Archaeopteryx" the claw is larger. The Haarlem specimen's metatarsals are also estimated to be proportionally longer than those of "Archaeopteryx" specimens. In addition, the Haarlem specimen shares several features with "Anchiornis". Most notably, they both have longitudinal furrows on the top and bottom sides of their manual phalanges (finger bones). While such structures can be a result of collapsed or broken bones (as is the case in several "Archaeopteryx" specimens), the straight, smooth edges of the furrows in "Ostromia" and