Tail

Tail

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:

    His friends he loved. His direst earthly foes—
    Cats—I believe he did but feign to hate.
    My hand will miss the insinuated nose,
    Mine eyes the tail that wagg’d contempt at Fate.
    Sir William Watson (1858–1935)

    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)

    He sits at the table, head down, the young clear neck exposed,
    watching the drugstore sign from the tail of his eye;
    Muriel Rukeyser (1913–1980)