The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds. While tails are primarily a feature of vertebrates, some invertebrates including scorpions and springtails, as well as snails and slugs, have tail-like appendages that are sometimes referred to as tails. Tailed objects are sometimes referred to as "caudate" and the part of the body associated with or proximal to the tail are given the adjective "caudal".
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Famous quotes containing the word tail:
“The only people who treasure systems are those whom the whole truth evades, who want to catch it by the tail. A system is just like truths tail, but the truth is like a lizard. It will leave the tail in your hand and escape; it knows that it will soon grow another tail.”
—Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev (18181883)
“His friends he loved. His direst earthly foes
CatsI believe he did but feign to hate.
My hand will miss the insinuated nose,
Mine eyes the tail that waggd contempt at Fate.”
—Sir William Watson (18581935)
“What a wonderful bird the frog are
When he stand he sit almost;
When he hop, he fly almost.
He aint got no sense hardly;
He aint got no tail hardly either.
When he sit, he sit on what he aint got almost.”
—Unknown. The Frog (l. 16)