A scorpion tail

The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual An appendage in the broadest sense is an additional or subsidiary part existing on or added to something which can generally still function if the appendage has never existed or Torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies (including that of the human from which extend the neck and limbs It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals and birds. The sacrum is a large triangular bone at the base of the spine and at the upper and back part of the Pelvic cavity, where it is inserted like a wedge between The coccyx (pronounced kok -siks (Latin os coccygis) commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the human vertebral column Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. While tails are primarily a feature of vertebrates, some invertebrates—including scorpions and springtails—have tail-like appendages. Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes An invertebrate is an Animal lacking a Vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal Species — all animals except those in the Chordate Scorpions are eight-legged Carnivorous Arthropods They are members of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. Springtails ( Collembola) form the largest of the three lineages of modern hexapods that are no longer considered Insects (the other two are the

Function

Animal tails are used in a variety of ways. They provide a source of locomotion for fish and some other forms of marine life. In Biomechanics, animal locomotion is the study of how Animals move. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Marine biology is the scientific study of living Organisms in the Ocean or other marine or Brackish bodies of water Many land animals use their tails to brush away flies and other biting insects. True flies are Insects of the Order Diptera ( Greek: di = two and pteron = wing possessing a single pair of Some species, including cats and kangaroos, use their tails for balance, and some, such as New World monkeys and opossums, use their prehensile tails to grasp tree branches. WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic A kangaroo is a Marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods meaning 'large foot' Equilibrioception or sense of balance is one of the physiological Senses It helps prevent Humans and Animals from falling over when A monkey is any member of either the New World monkeys or Old World monkeys two of the three groupings of Simian Primates the third group being Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere. A prehensile tail is the Tail of an Animal that has adapted to be able to grasp and/or hold objects

Peacock in full courtship display

Tails are also used for social signaling. The term peafowl refers to Gallinaceous Birds classified within the genera Rheinardia Argusianus Afropavoand Pavo Some deer species flash the white underside of their tails to warn other nearby deer of possible danger, and canids (including domestic dogs) indicate emotions through the positioning of their tails. A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. The Canidae (ˈkænədiː ′kanə′dē family is a part of the order Carnivora within the Mammals (Class Mammalia The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings thoughts and behaviours Evolutionary pressures have led to the development of armored tails in some species, and some, such as the tails of scorpions contain venom. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Scorpions are eight-legged Carnivorous Arthropods They are members of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. This article is about the class of Biotoxins For other uses see Venom (disambiguation and Venomous (disambiguation.

Some species of lizard can detach ("cast") their tails from their bodies. Lizards are a large and widespread group of Reptiles of the order Squamata, with nearly 5000 species and ranging across all continents except Autotomy (from the Greek auto = "self-" and tomy = "severing" or self amputation is the act whereby an animal severs This can help them to escape from predators, which are either distracted by the wriggling detached tail, or left with only the tail while the rest of the lizard flees. Tails cast in this manner generally grow back over time, though the replacement is typically darker in color than the original.

The tails of most birds end in long feathers called rectrices. Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering or Plumage, on Birds They are considered the most complex integumentary structures These feathers are used as a rudder, helping the bird to steer and maneuver in flight; they also help the bird to balance while it is perched. Flight is the main mode of locomotion used by most of the world's bird species In some species—such as birds of paradise, lyrebirds and peacocks—modified tail feathers play an important role in courtship displays. The birds of paradise are members of the family Paradisaeidae of the order Passeriformes. A Lyrebird is either of two Species of ground-dwelling Australian Birds most notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial Peacocks may refer to Peafowl Peacocks (retailer Courtship is the traditional dating period before engagement and marriage The extra-stiff tail feathers of other species, including woodpeckers and woodcreepers, allow them to brace themselves firmly against tree trunks. The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of Near-passerine Birds. The woodcreepers ( Dendrocolaptinae) comprise a Subfamily of Sub-oscine Passerine Birds endemic to the Neotropics

Human tails

Human embryos have a tail that measures about one-sixth of the size of the embryo itself. An embryo (from Greek:, plural, lit "that which grows" from en- "in" + bryein "to swell be full" is a multicellular As the embryo develops into a fetus, the tail is absorbed by the growing body. A fetus (or foetus or fœtus) is a developing Mammal or other Viviparous Vertebrate, after the Embryonic stage and The developmental tail is thus a human vestigial structure. In the context of Human evolution, human vestigiality involves those characters (such as organs or behaviors occurring in the Human Infrequently, a child is born with a "soft tail", which contains no vertebrae, but only blood vessels, muscles, and nerves, although there have been a very few documented cases of tails containing cartilage or up to five vertebrae. Modern procedures allow doctors to eliminate the tail at delivery. The longest human tail on record belonged to a twelve-year-old boy living in what was then French Indochina, which measured 229 mm (9 inches). First French interventions See also France-Vietnam relations France-Vietnam relations started as early as the 17th century with the mission of the Jesuit ^[1] A man named Chandre Oram, who was born in India, is famous because of his 13-inch (330 mm) tail. Chandre Oram is an Indian tea estate worker who lives in Alipurduar district of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Nonetheless, it is not believed to be a true tail but a case of spina bifida. Spina bifida ( Latin: "split spine" is a developmental Birth defect involving the Neural tube: incomplete closure of the Embryonic neural Sara Herandi, a female, was another similar case but to a smaller extent (approximately 5-inches), her case was more abnormal as her tail contained hair that resembled that of a squirrel's tail.

Humans have a tail bone (the coccyx) attached to the pelvis, in the same place which other mammals have tails. The coccyx (pronounced kok -siks (Latin os coccygis) commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the human vertebral column The coccyx (pronounced kok -siks (Latin os coccygis) commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the human vertebral column The tail bone is formed of fused vertebrae, usually four, at the bottom of the vertebral column. A vertebra (plural vertebrae) is an individual Irregular bone in the spinal or Vertebral column ( aka ischis a flexuous and flexible column In Human anatomy, the vertebral column ( backbone or spine) is a column of 34 Vertebrae the Sacrum, Intervertebral It doesn't protrude externally, but retains an anatomical purpose: providing an attachment for muscles like the gluteus maximus. The gluteus maximus' (or glutæus maximus) is the largest and most Superficial of the three Gluteal muscles.

References

1. ^ Humans Evolved from Ape-like Ancestors.