Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Age: 69 Gender: Male Posts: 34,147 Location: temperate zone
22 Nov 2021, 6:39 am
I dont know about tails on human bodies, but I like an idea I heard on the radio one time. The idea of equipping automobiles with mechanical tails as social semaphores in order to prevent road rage. The tail equipped cars could mimic the use of tails in animals to communicate to the other drivers. Like you could make your car drop its tail between its "legs" (wheels) to show "submission", and apologize for cutting off the other person. or like that.
Even our closest relatives, the apes, lack tails. So we musta given them up for some good reason.
Do you mean gibbons?
Gibbons and great apes (excluding humans).
Of the great apes only gibbons live predominately in trees
Gibbons aren't great apes. Great apes scientifically includes orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans, and colloquially includes just the first three.
Joined: 21 Feb 2011 Age: 56 Gender: Male Posts: 34,284
22 Nov 2021, 8:57 pm
Sonic200 wrote:
cyberdad wrote:
Sonic200 wrote:
cyberdad wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
We abandoned tails even before we left the trees.
Even our closest relatives, the apes, lack tails. So we musta given them up for some good reason.
Do you mean gibbons?
Gibbons and great apes (excluding humans).
Of the great apes only gibbons live predominately in trees
Gibbons aren't great apes. Great apes scientifically includes orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans, and colloquially includes just the first three.
Sorry I mean't gibbons are apes so from an evolutionary perspective the ancestor of the gibbon and chimp was living in trees and may have lost their tail while living in an arboreal environment.
Joined: 5 Aug 2021 Age: 46 Gender: Male Posts: 1,435 Location: USA
01 Dec 2021, 6:42 pm
Sonic200 wrote:
How would things be if all humans grew a tail overnight?
You've got one. It's just not long enough to extend outside your body. On rare occasions people are born with one that does but most have it surgically removed.
Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Age: 69 Gender: Male Posts: 34,147 Location: temperate zone
01 Dec 2021, 6:55 pm
cyberdad wrote:
Sonic200 wrote:
cyberdad wrote:
Sonic200 wrote:
cyberdad wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
We abandoned tails even before we left the trees.
Even our closest relatives, the apes, lack tails. So we musta given them up for some good reason.
Do you mean gibbons?
Gibbons and great apes (excluding humans).
Of the great apes only gibbons live predominately in trees
Gibbons aren't great apes. Great apes scientifically includes orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans, and colloquially includes just the first three.
Sorry I mean't gibbons are apes so from an evolutionary perspective the ancestor of the gibbon and chimp was living in trees and may have lost their tail while living in an arboreal environment.
Exactly my point.
BTW: orangutans also "live predominantly in trees".