Hey, where's my tail?

[bobcat]

Monkeys still have tails, but great apes don't, and humans are part of the great ape family.
Interestingly though, all human embryos have a tail, but it gets reabsorbed after about 8 weeks.
According to new scientific findings, apparently, we share the same genetic mutation as the other great apes that caused us all to lose our tail.
However, there are rare cases where it doesn't get reabsorbed during fetal development, and surgery is required.
I guess evolution occasionally has it's hiccups.

 

[Murrmurr]

Where'd you see it last?

 

[Ruthanne]

Thanks for enlightening me about our tails! Learn something new every day!

 

[Rakaia]

@bobcat
Your coccyx is your tail.

 

[PeppermintPatty]

@bobcat
Your coccyx is your tail.

Coccyx =tailbone

 

[-Oy-]

A tail would be pretty cool. I'd like my tail thanks

 

[gruntlabor]

A tail would be pretty cool. I'd like my tail thanks

We been robbed.

 

[Knight]

Hey, where's my tail?

Not to be confused with

get some tail
slang Typically of a man, to have sex or engage in sexual activity with (usually) a woman.
I'm a little bit tired of going to parties with Steve—he just spends the entire night trying to get some tail.
How'd the date go last night? Did you get some tail?
He's not a relationship-type of guy. He's clearly just looking to get some tail.
See also: get, tail
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

 

[Babs2u]

Would we wag our tail when we are happy like a dog or swish it when we are upset like a cat?

 

[CaliS]

Reminds me of the movie Shallow Hal

 

[RadishRose]

Did you leave it in your other pants?

 

[Babs2u]

Reminds me of the movie Shallow Hal

I hade no idea that was in Shallow Hal!

 

[CaliS]

I hade no idea that was in Shallow Hal!

I love that movie! Cracks me up all the way through.

 

[Murrmurr]

Would we wag our tail when we are happy like a dog or swish it when we are upset like a cat?

I definitely would.

 

[bobcat]

I think almost all dinosaurs had tails, and their kind still do like alligators and lizards, and even birds and fish. Apparently, they are quite useful for balance, and horses and cows use them to swat away flies. Seems like an extraordinarily versatile appendage to me. So many animals have adapted them for whatever they need, like scorpions and stingrays using them for defense. Foxes and squirrels even wrap their tails around themselves for warmth. Bunnies probably kept them just to look cute.

 

[gruntlabor]

Would we wag our tail when we are happy like a dog or swish it when we are upset like a cat?

I would never swish, it seems unsanitary. I would wag my tail if only I had one.
Has anyone tried tail-enhancement surgery?

 

[gruntlabor]

I think almost all dinosaurs had tails, and their kind still do like alligators and lizards, and even birds and fish. Apparently, they are quite useful for balance, and horses and cows use them to swat away flies. Seems like an extraordinarily versatile appendage to me. So many animals have adapted them for whatever they need, like scorpions and stingrays using them for defense. Foxes and squirrels even wrap their tails around themselves for warmth. Bunnies probably kept them just to look cute.

There's no point in coming across as intellectual now, Bobcat. We don't believe you.

 

[bobcat]

There's no point in coming across as intellectual now, Bobcat. We don't believe you.

Ha ha ..... Me thinks your imagination has escaped it's leash.

 

[bobcat]

I would never swish, it seems unsanitary. I would wag my tail if only I had one.
Has anyone tried tail-enhancement surgery?

I think perhaps the Red Rascal from the underworld may have had some work done, but no doubt he would lie about it.

 

[Paco Dennis]

We evolved with the great apes because we both sat on our butts so much! U can't have a tail and sit properly!

 

[gruntlabor]

We evolved with the great apes because we both sat on our butts so much! U can't have a tail and sit properly!

Many do, like squirrels, dogs, etc etc. You can't prove that, Paco, or can you? Did you get that from Uncle Remus?

 

[Gardenlover]

It raises a question for me: If a tail provided advantages, what evolutionary process would make losing it beneficial rather than harmful? What problem did losing the tail solve, or what tradeoff made it worth giving up?

 

[murat688]

It’s crazy to think about how much we still carry from that stage of evolution. I remember reading about the vestigial tailbone back in school but didn't realize the embryo part was that specific. Just a weird leftover from our ancestors.

 

[gruntlabor]

It raises a question for me: If a tail provided advantages, what evolutionary process would make losing it beneficial rather than harmful? What problem did losing the tail solve, or what tradeoff made it worth giving up?

I don't suppose losing a tail was necessarily beneficial. It just needed to be useless, in which case it dries up and goes away.

 

[Paco Dennis]

Many do, like squirrels, dogs, etc etc. You can't prove that, Paco, or can you? Did you get that from Uncle Remus?

Here is Uncle Remix' explanation :

The Genetic "Glitch"​

In 2024, researchers identified a specific genetic change in the TBXT gene that is unique to humans and great apes. Unlike many mutations that involve a change in the DNA sequence itself, this was an insertion of a "jumping gene" (specifically an Alu element) into a non-coding region of the gene.

This insertion causes a "mismatch" during protein production, resulting in a shortened version of the protein that prevents the tail from developing fully.