4 ms·

Hair is much worse in that regard, as the tail would be positioned too low to practically grab (it would asking for a knee to the face or punches to the back of

by t-3 3y ago

Hair is much worse in that regard, as the tail would be positioned too low to practically grab (it would asking for a knee to the face or punches to the back of the head or spine if you tried). I think the driver is more likely to be bipedality. A tail doesn't provide a lot of benefit for balance or rearside whisker utility when moving on two legs, and would interfere with sitting and lying postures. I think humans are probably too large for practical prehensile tails too.

ohyes 3y ago
> I think humans are probably too large for practical prehensile tails too. There’s only one way to find out! Who wants to join my ‘prehensile tails for humans’ (and other great apes with cash) startup? Capitalism, wow!
thaumasiotes 3y ago
> I think the driver is more likely to be bipedality. Given that the tail was lost before the development of bipedality, how could this possibly be the case?
underlipton 3y ago
>and would interfere with sitting and lying postures. I think that assumes that a hypothetical modern human tail would still be attached to the spine. A tail structure attached to the main body only through soft tissues could be flexible enough at the root to not be an issue.
- gus_massa 3y ago
  The tail is just the end of the spine. I think it would be extremly difficult to evolve one that is not connected.
  - underlipton 3y ago
    I imagine it would involve taking the one that is connected and evolving one that isn't (slow selection for a smaller connecting vertebra until it becomes vestigial). Floating bones aren't uncommon (you have one in your neck); the real wrench is that it's usually for entirely vestigial limbs, not vestigial portions of functional limbs. But I'm sure life could uh find a way.
    - gus_massa 3y ago
      I think it would be hard because without breaking the spinal cord. Floating "side" bones are possible, but I don't know any case where the spine has been split. The spine is too central to early devdelopment to mess with it without causing chaos in later steps of development.

by t-3 3y ago

ohyes 3y ago

> I think humans are probably too large for practical prehensile tails too. There’s only one way to find out! Who wants to join my ‘prehensile tails for humans’ (and other great apes with cash) startup? Capitalism, wow!

thaumasiotes 3y ago

> I think the driver is more likely to be bipedality. Given that the tail was lost before the development of bipedality, how could this possibly be the case?

underlipton 3y ago

>and would interfere with sitting and lying postures. I think that assumes that a hypothetical modern human tail would still be attached to the spine. A tail structure attached to the main body only through soft tissues could be flexible enough at the root to not be an issue.

gus_massa 3y ago
The tail is just the end of the spine. I think it would be extremly difficult to evolve one that is not connected.
- underlipton 3y ago
  I imagine it would involve taking the one that is connected and evolving one that isn't (slow selection for a smaller connecting vertebra until it becomes vestigial). Floating bones aren't uncommon (you have one in your neck); the real wrench is that it's usually for entirely vestigial limbs, not vestigial portions of functional limbs. But I'm sure life could uh find a way.
  - gus_massa 3y ago
    I think it would be hard because without breaking the spinal cord. Floating "side" bones are possible, but I don't know any case where the spine has been split. The spine is too central to early devdelopment to mess with it without causing chaos in later steps of development.