Webbed toes is the common name for syndactyly

Syndactyly

Syndactyly is a condition wherein two or more digits are fused together. It occurs normally in some mammals, such as the siamang and kangaroo, but is an unusual condition in humans.-Classification:...

 affecting the feet. It is characterised by the fusion of two or more digits of the feet. This is normal in many bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s, such as duck

Duck

Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...

s; amphibian

Amphibian

Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...

s, such as frog

Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...

s; and mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

s, such as kangaroo

Kangaroo

A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...

s. In humans it is considered unusual, occurring in approximately one in 2,000 to 2,500 live births.

There are various levels of webbing, from partial to complete. For example, the rare Hose's Civet

Hose's Palm Civet

The Hose's palm civet , also known as the Hose's civet , is a civet found in Borneo. It is named after zoologist Charles Hose and is a member of the family Viverridae...

, a viverrid endemic

Endemic (ecology)

Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...

 to northern Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

, has partially webbed feet. Most commonly the second and third toes are webbed or joined by skin and flexible tissue. This can reach either part way up or nearly all the way up the toe.

Diagnosis

This condition is normally discovered at birth. If other symptoms are present, a specific syndrome may be indicated. Diagnosis of a specific syndrome is based on family history, medical history, and a physical exam. Webbed toes are also known as "twin toes," "duck toes," and "tiger toes."

Cause

The exact cause of the condition is unknown. In some cases, close family members may share this condition. In other cases, no other related persons have this condition. The scientific name for the condition is syndactyly

Syndactyly

Syndactyly is a condition wherein two or more digits are fused together. It occurs normally in some mammals, such as the siamang and kangaroo, but is an unusual condition in humans.-Classification:...

, although this term covers both webbed fingers and webbed toes. Syndactyly occurs when apoptosis

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...

 or programmed cell death during gestation is absent or incomplete. Webbed toes occur most commonly in the following circumstances:

• Syndactyly
  Syndactyly
  Syndactyly is a condition wherein two or more digits are fused together. It occurs normally in some mammals, such as the siamang and kangaroo, but is an unusual condition in humans.-Classification:...
  
   or Familial Syndactyly
• Down syndrome
  Down syndrome
  Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
  
  

It is also associated with a number of rare conditions, notably:

• Aarskog–Scott syndrome
• Acrocallosal syndrome
  Acrocallosal syndrome
  Acrocallosal syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by corpus callosum agenesis, polydactyly, multiple dysmorphic features, motor and mental retardation, and other symptoms. The syndrome was first described by Albert Schinzel in 1979.It is associated with GLI3.-External links:...
  
  
• Apert's syndrome
• Bardet-Biedl syndrome
  Bardet-Biedl syndrome
  The Bardet–Biedl syndrome is a ciliopathic human genetic disorder that produces many effects and affects many body systems. It is characterized principally by obesity, retinitis pigmentosa, polydactyly, mental retardation, hypogonadism, and renal failure in some cases.-Summary of the...
  
  
• Carpenter syndrome
  Carpenter syndrome
  Carpenter syndrome, also called acrocephalopolysyndactyly type II, is an extremely rare autosomal recessive congenital disorder characterized by craniofacial malformations, obesity, and syndactyly.It was first characterized in 1909.-Presentation:...
  
  
• Cornelia de Lange syndrome
  Cornelia de Lange Syndrome
  Cornelia de Lange Syndrome often termed as Bushy Syndrome is a genetic disorder that can lead to severe developmental anomalies. It affects the physical and intellectual development of a child. Exact incidence is unknown, but it is estimated at 1 in 10,000 to 30,000.! Appx...
  
  
• Edwards syndrome
  Edwards syndrome
  Trisomy 18 is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 18th chromosome. It is named after John H. Edwards, who first described the syndrome in 1960...
  
  
• Jackson-Weiss syndrome
  Jackson-Weiss syndrome
  Jackson-Weiss syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by foot abnormalities and the premature fusion of certain bones of the skull , which prevents further growth of the skull and affects the shape of the head and face...
  
  
• Fetal hydantoin syndrome
• Miller syndrome
  Miller syndrome
  This condition is also known as the Genee-Wiedemann syndrome, Wildervanck-Smith syndrome or postaxial acrofacial dystosis . The incidence of this condition is not known but it is considered extremely rare...
  
  
• Pfeiffer syndrome
  Pfeiffer syndrome
  Pfeiffer syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the premature fusion of certain bones of the skull , which prevents further growth of the skull and affects the shape of the head and face...
  
  
• Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
  Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
  Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome is an autosomal recessive metabolic and developmental congenital disorder that causes the inability to correctly produce or synthesize cholesterol due to a low occurrence of the 7-DHC reductace enzyme.-Symptoms:The signs and symptoms of SLOS syndrome vary widely...
  
  
• Timothy syndrome
  Timothy syndrome
  Timothy syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by physical malformations, as well as neurological and developmental defects, including heart QT-prolongation, heart arrhythmias, structural heart defects, syndactyly and autism spectrum disorders.Timothy syndrome often ends in...
  
  

Consequences

Webbed toes in humans are a purely cosmetic condition. This condition does not impair the ability to perform any activity including walking, running, or swimming.

People with webbed toes may have a slight disadvantage for activities that benefit from prehensile toes.

Webbed toes eliminate the possibility of athlete's foot

Athlete's foot

Athlete's foot is a fungal infection of the skin that causes scaling, flaking, and itch of affected areas. It is caused by fungi in the genus Trichophyton and is typically transmitted in moist areas where people walk barefoot, such as showers or bathhouses...

 infections in the affected areas.

Psychological stress may arise from the fear of negative reactions to this condition from people who do not have webbed toes. This may lead some individuals to become extremely self-conscious about their feet and go to great lengths to hide them. They may avoid open-toed footwear and activities such as swimming where their feet may be seen. Others are very proud of their webbed toes and often wear uncovered toe gear to show off their unique toe structure.

Surgery

Webbed toes can be separated through surgery. Surgical separation of webbed toes is an example of body modification

Body modification

Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...

.

As with any form of surgery, there are risks of complications.

The end results depend on the extent of the webbing and underlying bone structure. There is usually some degree of scarring, and skin grafts may be required. In rare instances, nerve damage may lead to loss of feeling in the toes and a tingling sensation. There are also reports of partial web grow-back. The skin grafts needed to fill in the space between the toes can lead to additional scars in the places where the skin is removed.

Famous webbed feet

• Dan Aykroyd
  Dan Aykroyd
  Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
  
   – Canada, actor
• Tricia Helfer
  Tricia Helfer
  Tricia Janine Helfer is a Canadian actress and former model, best known for her roles as Number Six in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, "Carla" on Burn Notice, and FBI Special Agent Alex Rice on Dark Blue, as well as for hosting the first season of Canada's...
  
   - Canada, actress
• Jacqui Hurley
  Jacqui Hurley
  Jacqui Hurley is an Irish athlete, sports manager, sports broadcaster and chat show host employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann . She is the co-presenter with Con Murphy of Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 and presents the sports news on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ 2fm each day...
  
   - Ireland, sports broadcaster
• Ashton Kutcher
  Ashton Kutcher
  Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
  
   - United States, actor
• Joseph Stalin
  Joseph Stalin
  Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
  
  – Soviet Union, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union