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> but a cat walks on four legs, it's already pretty stable. ... that makes me wonder why so many quadruped animals have tails. Maybe it's needed for balance wh
by jolmg 7y ago
> but a cat walks on four legs, it's already pretty stable.
... that makes me wonder why so many quadruped animals have tails. Maybe it's needed for balance when they're preparing for a jump and are on 2 legs.
- Jeff_Brown 7y agoHorses' tails are (entirely?) for whipping flies. Some lizards' tails are for sacrificing when chased -- they separate from the body relatively easily. (I learned that the hard way as a child.) Some tails are surely evolutionary detritus. And I'm sure there are other uses. For animals in which the tail is heavy enough to actually affect their balance, I believe you're right -- they generally do more acrobatic stuff than we do.