Animals have different kinds of use for our ecosystem which is why animals need a complete body part, according to the physiology of their bodies, to perform well. They need complete arms, feet, and some animals need a heart and brain.
The tail plays an important role in an animal’s life. However, not all animals have tails; some are born without them. Can they survive without a tail? If can, how do they do it? Here is a list of animals without tail you won’t believe exist!
List Of Animals Without Tail
When you start thinking about Animals without tail, the first thought that will come to your head is humans.
Humans are an intelligent species belonging to Genus Homo and Family Hominidae that are widespread species across the world.
As a bipedal species, they do not have tails. However, They have bones at the end of their backbone, during the embryonic development around 31 to 35 days of gestation that are later fused to each other vertebrae becoming the end structure of our backbone called the coccyx. What animals are tailless?
11-Capybara
The first Animal without tail in our list is The capybara, also known as capivara, capiguara, fercho, is the largest species of rodent and also semiaquatic mammals belonging to the Genus Hydrochoerus and Family Caviidae. These are found in South America and other places.
Yes, They are as big as dogs in size. Ironically, they don’t have tails if so it is very tiny and a vestigial type. They almost look like a larger version of guinea pigs.
10-American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear that belongs to the Genus Ursus and Family Ursidae and is found in North America.
Black bears have relatively short, inconspicuous tails that sometimes are not seen in them. However, We can see the vestigial tail in bear cubs from birth.
Some studies suggest that they lack tails as they are not fast agile running animals that require them to make swift turns.
9-Guinea pigs
The guinea pig, also known as a domestic guinea pig, cavy or domestic cavy, is a special type of rodent that belongs to the genus Cavia and family Caviidae and is found in South America, savannas, and other places.
A tailbone in guinea pigs is fused under their pelvis that is not visible or expressed outside of their body as it happens in rats or other rodents.
Guinea pigs don’t have and also need a tail because they don’t balance through their tails as they are less known to climb, jump, and live on flat surfaces and are also known to use burrows left by other animals.
8-Gibbons
The Gibbon is an ape or lesser ape in the family Hylobatidae, Order Primates, and Class Mammalia and is found in Bangladesh, Northeast India, southern China, Indonesia Borneo, and Java.
Like all the other apes such as gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos, these gibbons don’t have tails. Interestingly, like most apes, these are also found to walk bipedally while balancing through their hands.
Their primary mode of locomotion is through swinging confidently from branch to branch at a speed of about 55 km/h (34 mph).
7-Siamangs
The siamang, including Sumatran siamang and the Malaysian siamang, is an arboreal species of gibbon in the Family Hylobatidae and Order Primates and is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Simply, They don’t have a tail, that’s it. We can observe a large gray or pink throat sac which is an impressive feature of these apes as it can be inflated to create loud calls.
Even though these siamang belong to the ape they don’t build nests like the apes. However, they can sleep at the fork of a tree by sitting in an upright position.
6-Orangutan
An Orangutan is a species that belongs to the great apes in the Genus Pongo and Family Hominidae found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra.
Surprisingly, Orangutans, like other apes such as gorillas, Bonobo, Humans, and others, do not possess tails. However, they have long arms, and a unique feature in them is their distinctive cheek pads called flanges that are used to attract female mates.
Young, or Juveniles without flanges seem to be females because only An adult male develops the flanges.
5-Gorillas
The gorilla is one of the most common Animals without tail, including eastern gorillas and western gorillas, is a herbivorous ape that belongs to the Genus Gorilla and Family Hominidae and is found in central Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda, western Africa, Guinea, and Angola.
Gorillas don’t have tails as they belong to a group of apes that are known to lack tails. Interestingly, Some studies suggest that as they are big and ground-dwelling creatures that over time start to use their tails less and less that causes them to lose their tails over the many generations.
Unfortunately, there are about one lakh gorillas known to live today.
Read More: Can Gorillas Make Good Pets?
4-Chimpanzees
When it comes to the animals without tail A chimpanzee, also known as the common chimpanzee, and fondly as a chimp, is an iconic animal that belongs to Genus Pan and Family Hominidae. and is found in the savannah of Africa.
As a chimpanzee is classified as an ape it doesn’t have tails because we know apes lack tails. Those apes include our chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans.
Weird and unbelievable about them is they are found to hunt bushbuck or monkeys for eating.-that’s unbelievable. Right.
3-Bonobo
A bonobo, also known by other names in the past such as pygmy chimpanzee, dwarf chimpanzee, or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape that belongs to the Genus Pan and Family Hominidae that are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other places as well.
When it comes to answering, Whether bonobos have tails or not? It is harder to answer because they have a tail structure that is not long and is made up of a white tail tuft. This tuft is located in the same place of tails as in other monkeys. Remember, these are not monkeys but are actually apes.
Most people confuse bonobos as the same as chimpanzees. That’s not so because bonobos are different and classified in separate groups.
Surprisingly, bonobos are the apes with bipedal behavior next to humans, which means they can walk with you as you can do.
2-Koalas
A koala, also known as a koala bear, is a tree-climbing marsupial that belongs to the Genus Phascolarctos and Family Phascolarctidae and is found in Eastern Australia, southeastern and eastern Australia.
Have you ever seen very cute animals? If not, then see a baby Koala-that definitely adds a smile to your face. Now, Koala doesn’t have external tails even though its marsupial members such as kangaroos, wallaby, and tree-kangaroo have such long strong tails that act as a fifth limb. However, they possess a vestigial tail bone structure in their skeletal system but not expressed outside their bodies.
Interestingly, Koala bears have two opposable thumbs that are useful for climbing as they are arboreal animals.
1-Barbary Macaque
A Barbary macaque, also known as a Barbary ape, is an Old World Monkey species in Genus Macaca and Family Cercopithecidae and is found in Algeria, Morocco, and other places.
Surprisingly, Barbary macaque doesn’t have tails, If so it is less visible and is a vestigial tail while other monkeys have a long tail. Its vestigial tail is so short and less than an inch. Interestingly, Its vestigial tail is more seen and expressed in males than females.
Adult male of the Barbary macaque has a more prominent tail than females but not as long as other monkeys.
What surprises us about these monkeys is their cheeks as they are capable of holding food as much as their own stomachs, which is an advantageous feature when they are competing for food.