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Why do animals have tails?

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Grasshopper On January 11, 2023
Just me.





Fort Collins, Colorado
#1New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 01:29:57
I mean, I don't think they ever say why. If you think about it, why do animals have a long furry thing growing over their butt?
Lili On July 12, 2019
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Sunshine Land,
#2New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 01:30:26
Balance.
Grasshopper On January 11, 2023
Just me.





Fort Collins, Colorado
#3New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 01:43:20
@Lili Said

Balance.



Hmmm you sure?

I mean, scientists make their best guess only.

Could it be for body language, a rudder, protection?
Ko On January 25, 2011
\\m/(>.<)\\m/





949 Orange County, California
#4New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 01:43:47
Why do we have coccyx and appendices?
Grasshopper On January 11, 2023
Just me.





Fort Collins, Colorado
#5New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 01:45:09
@Ko Said

Why do we have coccyx and appendices?



Yea! And why do men have nipples?
Lili On July 12, 2019
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Sunshine Land,
#6New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 01:46:52
Yep, it's for balance. But animals use them for lots of other things as well. For instance, monkeys use them to hold into branches, they can be used for communication such as in cats and dogs, they can be used to swat away bugs the way cows and horses do. They're just generally useful. https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-tail-in-animals.htm
JuanSmith On September 11, 2020
Shilsh-Aash yatasay





Near Eucalyptus Trees, Califor
#7New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 01:48:07
Tails are for balance in animals.. if you let them grow and them cute them off the animal has a hard time getting around..
but if you crop the tail when they're still pups. they adapt to walking and running as if normal.
Lili On July 12, 2019
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Sunshine Land,
#8New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 01:48:34
@Ko Said

Why do we have coccyx and appendices?


The coccyx is the last remainder of what used to be a tail in humans. The appendix is thought the be a probiotic safehouse for restoring the bacterial balance in the colon in the case of an infection that could wipe out the bacterial populations.
Ko On January 25, 2011
\\m/(>.<)\\m/





949 Orange County, California
#9New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 01:50:23
I was answering as a question.

And I realized about what I've read about appendix after I spoted.
sTreetAngeL On January 24, 2022
root tedt ree





in a paradox,
#10New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 03:27:39
@Lili Said

Yep, it's for balance. But animals use them for lots of other things as well. For instance, monkeys use them to hold into branches, they can be used for communication such as in cats and dogs, they can be used to swat away bugs the way cows and horses do. They're just generally useful. https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-tail-in-animals.htm



Yep! Also, I believe the whiskers are for balance as well..and for judging distance of things.
Lili On July 12, 2019
....................





Sunshine Land,
#11New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 03:30:29
@sTreetAngeL Said

Yep! Also, I believe the whiskers are for balance as well..and for judging distance of things.



In cats, the whiskers are for determining if the cat will be able to fit into a small space. The whiskers of a cat are always the same width as the widest point of a cats body. So if the whiskers don't fit, the cat automatically knows he won't fit either.
young_nick On December 11, 2010
The Dude





Auckland, New Zealand
#12New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 03:41:52
Yep, Lili's onto it here. Tail's definitely for balance, and whiskers are for judging a cats width.

I heard (from Ricky Gervais) that the appendix was once useful to humans for processing a certain kind of food that we don't eat anymore due to evolution.

Actually, I just looked it up on wikipedia, and it looks like there may be some truth in that.

From wiki :
One potential ancestral purpose put forth by Charles Darwin[4] was that the appendix was used for digesting leaves as primates. It may be a vestigial organ of ancient humans that has degraded down to nearly nothing over the course of evolution. Evidence can be seen in herbivorous animals such as the koala. The cecum of the koala is very long, enabling it to host bacteria specific for cellulose breakdown. Human ancestors may have also relied upon this system and lived on a diet rich in foliage.
Fortuna On January 03, 2011




A Small Town, Texas
#13New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 04:38:06
@JuanSmith Said

Tails are for balance in animals.. if you let them grow and them cute them off the animal has a hard time getting around..
but if you crop the tail when they're still pups. they adapt to walking and running as if normal.



That explains why Miniature Schnauzers don't fall over. I have two.

JuanSmith On September 11, 2020
Shilsh-Aash yatasay





Near Eucalyptus Trees, Califor
#14New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 04:39:48
@Fortuna Said

That explains why Miniature Schnauzers don't fall over. I have two.




I have one Min Schnauzer
hellfire0013 On April 23, 2012




Edwardsville, Illinois
#15New Post! Apr 11, 2010 @ 04:47:44
Depends on the animal. Some use for balance, like rats, mice, etc. Birds use their tail feathers for stabalization while flying. Dogs for emotions. Some lizards, like iguanas, use them for protection, whipping them up to 90 mph, while others can detach for a chance to escape. Water reptiles, sea snakes, crocs, use their tails for rudders and to push them through water. Some animals, like hampsters, don't have tails. Snakes have tails for breeding, males need something to "push" up on to open vent.
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