“Nightmare creatures of the past” is how one scientist has described dinosaurs, monsters that roamed the earth ages ago. One might be led to imagine that these powerful creatures were invincible; however, for one reason at least, they were not. If this gigantic creature lost its tail, death was a certainty. It would lose balance, topple over and lie helpless until it starved to death or was killed by its enemies.

We tend to think of the tail as a somewhat useless appendage. Pet dogs often have their tails ‘docked’ or cut off. This is done for fashion to add, in other words, to their looks. But docking is painful and does not benefit the animal at all. In fact the tail is of immense use to any animal that possesses one.

The tail is really a piece of the vertebral column or the spine. Even we human beings have a tail or at least the remnants of one which, it is believed, our remote ancestors had. It is described as the coccyx or the tail-bone.
In fishes, the tail is an organ that is used for movement. It provides the driving-force for more than twenty thousand species of fish living today. They use their tails to push the water aside and in this manner make their way forward.

Sliding, heaving, rocking!
Some species have found other uses. The thresher shark rounds up schools of fish with its help. With a swish of its tail, it sweeps up the fish together and swallows them. The sea-horse uses it to anchor itself and the mud-skipper heaves along on it when it comes ashore. In all these animals, the tail is a blade with two edges, one above the other. When the tail is a horizontal one, as in whales and manatees, it is moved up and down and this takes the creature forward with a rocking motion. Otters use their tails like rudders to push themselves along in the water.

With animals that live on land, the tail is put to great number of other uses. A crocodile, whether on water or land can, with a single swish of its tail, knock a man down. So can the African ant-bear. Kangaroos succeed in sitting comfortably on their tails. The woolly monkey does the same thing, but in a more sophisticated manner.
It curls the tip into a circle and plants this firmly on the ground. Then making the rest of its tail rigid leans upon it in a luxurious fashion! The giraffe, in order to forage from very tall trees, makes a tripod of its hind legs and the tail and hitches itself on it. The Australian stump-tailed lizard has a tail that looks like its head. It can drop it off as a means of escape and then grow it again.

Fly-whisk!
Four-legged animals, like the cow, use the tail as a fly-whisk. The language of the dog’s tail needs no elaboration. It cannot hide its happiness because its tail is a complete give-away. Of course, when it goes between the hind legs, we all know it is contrite or on the run! The cat’s tail turns stiff when it is angry or about to pounce on its prey. Squirrels use their bushy tail to cover themselves and the pangolin uses it to block the entrance to its burrow against unwelcome intruders.

For tree-top dwellers, the tail acts as a balancing pole. Squirrels, monkeys, lizards, all have long tails which help them to move quickly without losing their hold. For the woodpecker, its tail is as important as its strong beak. Digging into the tree with its claws, its beak against the trunk, the bird leans back on its tail and begins tattooing for food.

In some short-tailed animals, the tail does no work but acts as a badge or a pointer. The rabbit’s bob and the short, dark tail of the deer are examples. They serve as a ‘follow the leader’ sign.

The tails of birds have feathers that help it to fly. They add a lot of beauty too. Perhaps the most gorgeous tail is that of the peacock. Unfurled and fanned out, it becomes a shimmering, iridescent halo. It is an enchanting sight which once seen is never forgotten.

And now here is my tail-piece. The tail of any creature is an important and sensitive part of its body.   Pulling it or twisting it, as many people do, is an act of cruelty that the kind-hearted never indulge in!