Horses' tails are (entirely?) for whipping flies. Some lizards' tails are for sacrificing when chased -- they separate from the body relatively easily. (I learn

Horses' 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.