Sickle Tail

The sickle tail is the single phenotypic characteristic that seems to separate dogs from wolves. Dogs who have tails tend to have an upward curve in the tail, which is called the sickle tail. Wolves' tails, on the other hand, hang straight; this is called the brush tail—similar to that of a fox.

Famous quotes containing the word tail:

    The tiger in the tiger-pit
    Is not more irritable than I.
    The whipping tail is not more still
    Than when I smell the enemy
    Writhing in the essential blood
    Or dangling from the friendly tree.
    —T.S. (Thomas Stearns)