Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
Repetition or deficiency of single parts, such as fingers or toes (polydactyly, hypodactyly [ectrodactyly], brachydactyly), is a frequent anomaly in man and other mammals. In many analyzed cases it has been shown to result from the inheritance of an abnormal gene that produces a localized disturbance of a growth process in the embryo. In the rabbit a recessive gene for brachydactyly (short...
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