Distinct, flexible appendage to the torso of an animal
The
tail
is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of
animals
' bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible
appendage
to the
torso
. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the
sacrum
and
coccyx
in
mammals
,
reptiles
, and
birds
. While tails are primarily a feature of
vertebrates
, some
invertebrates
including
scorpions
and
springtails
, as well as
snails
and
slugs
, have tail-like appendages that are sometimes referred to as tails. Tailed objects are sometimes referred to as "caudate" and the part of the body associated with or proximal to the tail are given the adjective "caudal".
Function
[
edit
]
Animal tails are used in a variety of ways. They provide a source of
locomotion
for
fish
and some other forms of
marine life
.
[1]
Many land animals use their tails to brush away
flies
and other biting insects.
[2]
Most
canines
use their tails to communicate mood and intention.
[3]
Some species, including
cats
and
kangaroos
, use their tails for
balance
;
[4]
[5]
and some, such as
monkeys
and
opossums
, have what are known as
prehensile tails
, which are adapted to allow them to grasp tree branches.
[6]
Tails are also used for social signaling. Some
deer
species flash the white underside of their tails to warn other nearby deer of possible danger,
[7]
beavers slap the water with their tails to indicate danger,
[8]
and
canids
(including domestic
dogs
) indicate
emotions
through the positioning and movement of their tails.
[9]
Some species' tails are armored, and some, such as those of
scorpions
, contain
venom
.
[10]
Some species of
lizard
can
detach
("cast") their tails from their bodies. This can help them to escape
predators
, which are either distracted by the wriggling, detached tail or left with only the tail while the lizard flees. Tails cast in this manner generally grow back over time, though the replacement is typically darker in colour than the original and contains only
cartilage
, not bone.
[11]
Various species of
rat
demonstrate a similar function with their tails, known as
degloving
, in which the outer layer is shed in order for the animal to escape from a predator.
[12]
Most birds' tails end in long
feathers
called
rectrices
. These feathers are used as a rudder, helping the bird steer and maneuver in
flight
; they also help the bird to balance while it is perched.
[13]
In some species—such as
birds of paradise
,
lyrebirds
, and most notably
peafowl
—modified tail feathers play an important role in
courtship displays
.
[14]
The extra-stiff tail feathers of other species, including
woodpeckers
and
woodcreepers
, allow them to brace themselves firmly against tree trunks.
[15]
The tails of grazing animals, such as
horses
, are used both to sweep away insects and positioned or moved in ways that indicate the animal's physical or emotional state.
[16]
Human tails
[
edit
]
In humans,
tail bud
refers to the part of the
embryo
which develops into the end of the spine.
[17]
However, this is not a tail.
[18]
Infrequently, a child is born with a "soft tail", which contains no vertebrae, but only
blood vessels
,
muscles
, and
nerves
, but this is regarded as an abnormality rather than a vestigial true tail, even when such an appendage is located where the tail would be expected.
[19]
[20]
Fewer than 40 cases have been reported of infants with "true tails" containing the caudal vertebrae, a result of
atavism
.
[21]
In 2024, scientists claimed to have found a genetic mutation that contributed to the loss of the tail in the common ancestor of humans and other apes.
[22]
[23]
Humans have a "tail bone" (the
coccyx
) attached to the pelvis; it comprises fused
vertebrae
, usually four, at the bottom of the
vertebral column
. It does not normally protrude externally - humans are an
acaudal
(or
acaudate
) species (i.e., tailless).
Gallery
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Robert W. Blake (26 May 1983).
Fish Locomotion
. CUP Archive. p. 143.
ISBN
978-0-521-24303-2
.
- ^
Gilbert WALDBAUER; Gilbert Waldbauer (30 June 2009).
What Good Are Bugs? Insects in the Web of Life
. Harvard University Press. p. 253.
ISBN
978-0-674-04474-6
.
- ^
Masashi Hasegawa; Nobuyo Ohtani (February 2014).
"Dogs' Body Language Relevant to Learning Achievement"
.
Animals
.
4
(1). Azabu University School of Veterinary Medicine: 45?58.
doi
:
10.3390/ani4010045
.
PMC
4494300
.
PMID
26479883
.
- ^
Outwitting Cats: Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Persuading the Felines in Your Life That What You Want Is Also What They Want
. Rowman & Littlefield. 2004. p. 21.
ISBN
978-1-59921-625-6
.
- ^
Byron Dawson (2003).
The Heinemann Science Scheme
. Heinemann. p. 125.
ISBN
978-0-435-58332-3
.
- ^
Melissa Stewart (1 January 2007).
New World Monkeys
. Lerner Publications. p. 11.
ISBN
978-0-8225-6765-3
.
- ^
D. Muller-Schwarze (6 December 2012).
Chemical Signals: Vertebrates and Aquatic Invertebrates
. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 47.
ISBN
978-1-4684-1027-3
.
- ^
Bruce M. Carlson (14 October 2008).
Beneath the Surface: A Natural History of a Fisherman's Lake
. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 240.
ISBN
978-0-87351-656-3
.
- ^
Stanley Coren; Sarah Hodgson (15 February 2011).
Understanding Your Dog For Dummies
. John Wiley & Sons. p. 250.
ISBN
978-1-118-05276-1
.
- ^
Adele Richardson (1 July 2002).
Scorpions
. Capstone. p. 20.
ISBN
978-0-7368-1318-1
.
- ^
Stephen J. Divers; Douglas R. Mader (13 December 2005).
Reptile Medicine and Surgery
. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 3468.
ISBN
1-4160-6477-X
.
- ^
Mackenzie, SJ (2015). "Innervation and function of rat tail muscles for modeling cauda equina injury and repair".
Muscle and Nerve
.
52
(1): 94?102.
doi
:
10.1002/mus.24498
.
PMID
25346299
.
S2CID
40356618
.
- ^
David Burnie (5 May 2008).
DK Eyewitness Books: Bird
. DK Publishing. p. 19.
ISBN
978-0-7566-6758-0
.
- ^
Exploring Life Science
. Marshall Cavendish. 2000. p.
731
.
ISBN
978-0-7614-7145-5
.
- ^
Robert W. McFarlane (1994).
A Stillness in the Pines: The Ecology of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker
. Norton. p. 40.
ISBN
978-0-393-31167-9
.
- ^
Mary Pope Osborne; Natalie Pope Boyce (28 October 2014).
Magic Tree House Fact & Fiction: Horses
. Random House Children's Books. p. 113.
ISBN
978-0-553-52368-3
.
- ^
"Tail Bud"
. Merriam Webster
. Retrieved
4 June
2020
.
- ^
"Developmental Stages in Human Embryos: Stage 16"
. the Endowment for Human Development
. Retrieved
4 June
2020
.
What Kunitomo (1918) designated the "longest tail" at stage 16 is nothing of the kind but is merely the caudal end of the embryo, which will develop into the coccygeal region.
- ^
"Human tail?caudal appendage: tethered cord"
.
Nature
. February 1, 2008
. Retrieved
2009-04-28
.
- ^
"The 'human tail' causing tethered cervical cord"
.
Nature
. November 14, 2006
. Retrieved
2009-04-28
.
- ^
Shad, Jimmy; Biswas, Rakesh (April 18, 2012).
"An infant with caudal appendage"
.
BMJ Case Reports
.
2012
: bcr1120115160.
doi
:
10.1136/bcr.11.2011.5160
.
PMC
3339178
.
PMID
22604513
.
- ^
Weisberger, Mindy (March 23, 2024).
"Why don't humans have tails? Scientists find answers in an unlikely place"
.
CNN
.
Archived
from the original on March 24, 2024
. Retrieved
March 24,
2024
.
- ^
Callaway, Ewen (2024-02-28).
"How humans lost their tails ? and why the discovery took 2.5 years to publish"
.
Nature
.
627
(8002): 15?16.
Bibcode
:
2024Natur.627...15C
.
doi
:
10.1038/d41586-024-00610-x
.
PMID
38418734
.
External links
[
edit
]
- Media related to
Tails
at Wikimedia Commons