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Apr 28, 2023 · 3 min read. When a human grows a tail, it's known as a human tail or vestigial tail. Many believe that human ancestors had and used some form of a tail. Over time as a species, however, we evolved...
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Jun 25, 2023 · The appendages some babies are born with have historically been deemed 'true' or 'vestigial' tails. But that's a bit of a misnomer, as they aren't really like any other tail known in nature. They typically don't contain bones, cartilage, or a spinal cord.
- What is vestigiality?
- What causes a vestigial tail?
- What’s a vestigial tail made of?
- How’s a vestigial tail treated?
- What’s the outlook for a vestigial tail?
For the most part, your organs and limbs serve a purpose, so it stands to reason that losing one of these can interfere with your body’s normal, everyday function.
On the other hand, it’s well-known that certain organs, such as the appendix, can be removed without much consequence. That’s because, while many body structures are useful in an obvious way, some structures have lost their original functions over the course of time.
Human vestigiality refers to parts of the body that seem to no longer serve a purpose. It’s believed that our ancestors, at some point, needed these body parts. Yet, many of these structures have lost most of their original function, essentially becoming what some label as “junk organs.”
Some believe that these structures are examples of human evolution. Others believe that so-called vestigial organs do have a purpose, although these purposes aren’t yet understood.
To illustrate, some doctors and scientists once considered tonsils a human vestigiality. But scientists later discovered that the tonsils play a role in immunity, helping the body fight infections.
A few examples of vestigiality include:
While tails are very rare in humans, temporary tail-like structures are found in the human embryo. These tails develop around the fifth or sixth week of gestation, and contain about 10 to 12 vertebrae.
Most people aren’t born with a tail because the structure disappears or absorbs into the body during fetal development, forming the tailbone or coccyx. The tailbone is a triangular bone located at the lower part of the spine below the sacrum.
Disappearance of the tail in the embryo takes place around the eighth week of gestation.
Although a vestigial tail disappears for most people, sometimes the tail remains due to a defect during the developmental stage. In the case of a “true” vestigial tail, the exact cause of this defect is unknown.
It’s important to note that some people are also born with a pseudotail, which isn’t the same as a “true” vestigial tail. A pseudotail can look like a vestigial tail, but it’s typically caused by an elongated coccyx or linked to spina bifida.
In two case studies of newborns with a congenital pseudotail, MRIs showed evidence of spina bifida — a birth defect where the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly.
When a vestigial tail doesn’t fuse with the coccyx and remains after birth, what’s left is skin that contain no bones. Although the tail lacks bones, it does contain nerves, blood, adipose tissue, connective tissue, and muscles.
Interestingly, the tail is also movable (in some people) like other parts of the body, although it doesn’t provide a useful function. Therefore, the tail isn’t used to grasp or grip objects.
The decision to seek treatment for a vestigial tail depends on the severity of the abnormality. Some tails are small and don’t cause any problems. But longer tails can eventually interfere with sitting. These tails can be up to 5 inches.
Since vestigial tails contain no bone, these tails don’t typically cause pain or discomfort. Pain might occur with a pseudotail because they do contain bone or vertebrae.
Babies born with a vestigial tail will need to undergo an imaging test such as an MRI or an ultrasound. This is necessary to classify the tail and make sure it isn’t associated with a medical condition like spina bifida.
Surgery is the treatment for a vestigial tail. Because a “true” vestigial tail is composed of adipose and muscular tissue, doctors can quickly remove these types of tails with a simple excision. This procedure doesn’t cause any residual side effects.
If you or your child has a vestigial tail, you can have it removed through a simple procedure, or keep the tail if it’s small.
Living with a vestigial tail doesn’t lead to complications or cause long-term problems. But if you choose to remove the tail, the prognosis is good and losing the structure doesn’t have any adverse effects.
- Valencia Higuera
The coccyx, or tailbone, is the remnant of a lost tail. [19] All mammals have a tail at some point in their development; in humans, it is present for a period of 4 weeks, during stages 14 to 22 of human embryogenesis. [20] This tail is most prominent in human embryos 31–35 days old. [21]
Feb 28, 2024 · Approximately 25 million years ago, an ancestor of both humans and apes genetically diverged from monkeys and lost its tail. No one had identified the genetic mutation responsible for...
- Jennifer Zieba
There's a whole lot about the human body that harks back to a time where we were a lot more primitive. We're talking tails, extra organs, and that's just the beginning. Trace breaks down some...
- 3 min
- 2.1M
- Seeker
A human tail is a rare congenital anomaly which mostly presents immediately after birth or in early childhood. Here, we are presenting a case of 17-year-old male who presented with 18-cm long tail, which was hidden till this age because of social stigma and shame. This is longest human tail reported of our knowledge.
