Why do animals have tails?
A tail is an appendage of an animal used for a specific set of reasons.
These can range from assisting with balance and speed to preventing heat loss and as a fat storage area, but almost all types of creatures (with legs) have tails in some form or other.
Tails are found on vertebrates, invertebrates, even plants.
Tails can vary in size and shape.
Some tails, such as those on a cow, may be long and thin.
Others, like the one on a rat, are short and fat or flat across their back.
The thickness of a tail helps determine what it is used for; the fatter the better to keep warm.
A spider monkey’s tail is long, thin, and covered in hair.
This helps the spider monkey to balance as well as move through trees quickly.
A lion’s tail has a tuft on the end for swatting flies away from cubs resting under their mothers.
What Can Tails Do?
Balance
A tail can help with balance when an animal needs it to do so.
A horse, for example, has a long and thick tail to help keep its balance as it gallops across plains.
The shape of a cats’ tail is perfect for balancing when they are in the trees, helping them to move from branch to branch without falling.
Faster Transportation
Tails can be very useful when animals need to get somewhere fast.
They can help them move faster than they would without one and it gives them a bit of extra stability as well.
A cheetah’s tail is long and thin with a point on the end to keep it from getting in its way when running.
Protection
It also helps to protect their calves from attack by hyenas or other predators if they become separated from their mothers.
A cow’s tail can be used to swat away insects when they are in the field.
This, in turn, will help keep them cool and happy.
They also use it when they kick to let other cattle know that they are nearby or simply try to let them know that they are not pleased with their behavior.
Storage
A tail is also useful for storage.
Many animals have fat stored in their tails if they are not already carrying it around on their bodies.
This gives them a place to store food that they can take out when the food supply gets low or there is no food available, which may happen during the winter months.
Tails are used for many things and have a number of applications for almost any animal you can think of.
It is important to know what they are for.
In turn, we can understand why each type of creature has a specific shape or size.
The next time you see animals, you will be able to appreciate the tails even more.
Check out our other animal FAQs here:
