retractile
Example Sentences
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The thoracic vertebrae number 13; the feet are digitigrade, with five front and four hind toes, of which the claws are retractile; and the metatarsus is haired all round.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 4 "Carnegie Andrew" to "Casus Belli" by Various
Herpestes, her-pes′tez, n. the typical genus of ichneumons or mongooses of the sub-family Herpestin�, viverroid carnivores, having straight toes, claws not retractile.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
The creature itself stands upon a retractile foot-stalk, and thrusts out above its battlements a large head, with four leaf-like expansions surrounded by cilia.
From Marvels of Pond-life A Year's Microscopic Recreations by Slack, Henry J.
The arteries are highly elastic, being extensile and retractile both in length and breadth.
From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Michener, Charles B.
It is, of course, well known that the tiger's retractile claws are like those of a cat, whereas the cheetah has toe-nails similar to those of a dog.
From The Last Voyage to India and Australia, in the 'Sunbeam' by Pritchett, R. T. (Robert Taylor)
