Tail

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Tails
)
"Tails" redirects here. For other uses, see Tail (disambiguation).
A white-tailed deer's tail

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

Vulpes lagopus
(Arctic fox) sleeping with its tail wrapped as a blanket.

Animal tails are used in a variety of ways. They provide a source of

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

venom.[10]

Some species of

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

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

Tail-like structure on a female newborn from coccyx protrusion

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
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

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-521-24303-2
    .
  2. ISBN 978-0-674-04474-6
    .
  3. PMID 26479883
    .
  4. ISBN 978-1-59921-625-6
    .
  5. ISBN 978-0-435-58332-3
    .
  6. ISBN 978-0-8225-6765-3
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1-4684-1027-3
    .
  8. ISBN 978-0-87351-656-3
    .
  9. ISBN 978-1-118-05276-1
    .
  10. ISBN 978-0-7368-1318-1
    .
  11. ISBN 1-4160-6477-X
    .
  12. S2CID 40356618
    .
  13. ISBN 978-0-7566-6758-0
    .
  14. ISBN 978-0-7614-7145-5
    .
  15. ISBN 978-0-393-31167-9
    .
  16. ISBN 978-0-553-52368-3
    .
  17. ^ "Tail Bud". Merriam Webster. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ "Human tail–caudal appendage: tethered cord". Nature. February 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  20. ^ "The 'human tail' causing tethered cervical cord". Nature. November 14, 2006. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  21. PMID 22604513
    .
  22. ^ 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.
  23. PMID 38418734
    .

External links

  • Media related to Tails at Wikimedia Commons
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tail&oldid=1218933202"
This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article: Tails . Articles is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; additional terms may apply.Privacy Policy