Finger and palmar dermatoglyphics of a Yoruba (Nigeria) sample.

Finger and palm prints of 126 male and 55 female Yoruba are reported using both quantitative and qualitative procedures. In general, the Yoruba fit into established geographical gradients for sub-saharan African populations. Whorl frequencies on the digits are relatively low, as is the frequency of palmar patterning. Finger ridge-counts, those of males in particular are high by African standards, and much higher than the previously reported data from Nigeria. Due to the lack of data on patterns of geographic variation in total finger ridge-count, little can be made of these findings at present.