Letter: Just a thought ... about amazing tails

To the Editor:

It has been written that in utero at about six weeks, the human unborn fetus has a tail that eventually will regress to fuse into the vertebrae. The tail fuses to a spot called the coccyx – the tailbone.

Tails have a purpose and reasons for being. They assist in balance. Dog tails wag when feeling happy or fearful and also may wag if a dog is about to bite. A docked tail on a dog will enhance the dog’s ability to perform the tasks that are meant to be done.

The cat’s tail will give insight when wagging. The wag can denote being happy, scared or anxious.

An alligator has a flat, muscular tail that propels it as it swims. Monkeys have long tails to balance them when swinging in trees from branch to branch or when they just want to monkey around by hanging upside down. The tail on a kangaroo will provide support on its triangular body when it wants to rest and also assures balance for walking.

Some dinosaurs’ tails were heavily spiked and used for defense against predators by having the ability to crush the skull of an enemy. The tail on a horse keeps away biting insects and could provide clues to the emotional state of the animal.

A human tail would definitely be awkward, wouldn’t it? It’s amazing how nature knew exactly what tail to put where.

Linda Alexandra (justathoughtlcj@gmail.com)

Wauconda