Raptor talons and beaks – what new research reveals about nature's sharpest tools

Why is an eagle's largest talon on its hind toe, and why does a falcon have a small "tooth" in its beak? New research – from the dinosaurs' sickle claw to Stanford's grasping robot – shows how raptor talons and beaks work.

Read also: The long journey of the feather – from the first dinosaur feathers to the eagle's wing →

Read also: The day the dinosaurs died – and why birds survived →

Haast's eagle had talons to match a tiger's claws. Ice Age giants – the great birds of prey we lost →

Eagles kill with their talons – terror birds struck with the beak. Terror Birds – the giant hunters of ancient South America →