Examples of tailless animals include American black bears, bonobos, capybaras, centipedes, and chimpanzees.
There are many tailless creatures in the animal kingdom.
Some are born without it, others’ tails are lost due to injury or illness.
Scientists have studied the effects of being tailless on animals and discovered that this can be both an advantage and a disadvantage.
There is no doubt that evolution favored those who lost their tails in the wild for generations.
Short-bodied animals escape predators more easily because they don’t have to worry about balancing on two legs while escaping danger (though they may not be so good at climbing trees).
Examples of Tailless Animals
Examples of Tailless Animals
1. American Black Bear
1. American Black Bear
Scientific NameUrsus americanusAnimal SpeciesMammalRangethe Pacific Northwest’s forests and mountainsDietOmnivore
The American black bear is the smallest of the three bear species found in North America and is also the most common.
Adults weigh 160 to 600 pounds, are about five feet long from head to rump, and have a shoulder height of about 3 feet.
Black bears have short fur that ranges from light brown to almost black, depending on the subspecies and location.
One of the most characteristic features of black bears is their long, sickle-shaped claws that are about two inches long.
Scientific NameGallina MapucheAnimalTypeBirdRangeChileDietOmnivor
These chickens are known for their lack of tails and their hard-shelled eggs.
Scientific NameMacaca sylvanusAnimalTypeMammalSpringAtlas and Rif MountainsDietOmnivor
The Barbary macaque is a small monkey with reddish-brown fur that makes it easily distinguishable from other members of the Macaca genus.
Its face and ears are black in color.
They are some of the few monkeys that do not have tails.
Scientific NamePan paniscusAnimal SpeciesMammalRangethe Democratic Republic of the CongoDietOmnivorous
The bonobo is a great ape and the closest living relative to humans.
Bonobos are very social animals and live in groups of up to 150 individuals.
They are known for promiscuous sex and use sex as a way to resolve conflicts.
Bonobos don’t have tails.
Scientific NameHydrochoerus hydrochaerisAnimal SpeciesMammal RangePanama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Northeast Argentina and UruguayDietHerbivorous
Capybara is a rodent living in South America.
They are the largest rodents in the world and can weigh up to 150 kilograms.
Capybaras have short, brown fur and no tails.
They spend most of their time in the water where they eat aquatic plants.
Capybaras are considered a threatened species as they are hunted for their meat and fur.
Scientific NameChilopodaAnimal SpeciesInsectRangeUnited StatesDietCarnivore
Centipedes (Chilopoda) do not have a tail.
They are carnivorous and can eat insects, spiders, worms, etc. places.
Related Article: Do Centipedes Eat Snails?
Scientific NamePan troglodytesAnimal SpeciesMammal PrevalenceCentral African RepublicDietOmnivorous
Chimpanzees do not have a tail.
He has long, black hair and opposite thumbs.
Chimpanzees live in Africa and eat mostly fruit, but also insects, eggs and meat.
Related Article: Do Chimpanzees Eat Birds?
Scientific NameBrachyuraAnimal SpeciesCrustaceanRangeWorldwideDietOmnivore
Crabs don’t have tails.
These sea creatures are related to shrimp and lobster, but are less than half a foot tall when fully grown.
Instead of walking sideways as their relatives do, crabs move in circles, running forward on the tips of their legs while pulling the rest of their body with one front leg at a time.
Their front claws are particularly well developed, and they use them to grab passing food or victims, in the case of male crabs fighting each other for the attention of females.
The fight is done with its hind legs, waving its claws as if it were an imaginary sword.
Scientific NameAnuraAnimal SpeciesReptileCommonWorldwideDietCarnivore
Frogs have long, slimy tails that help them swim.
Scientific NameHylobatidaeAnimalTypeMammalCommonSouth AsiaDietOmnivorous
These animals are normally found in Southeast Asia.
They can be recognized by their long arms and legs, which they use to swing from tree to tree and interact socially with other gibbons.
Gibbons typically live alone or in small groups consisting of one male, several females and cubs.
Scientific NameGorillaAnimal TypeMammal RangeEquatorial AfricaDietHerbivorous
Gorillas are the largest living primates without a tail.
They are closely related to humans, and their DNA is 98% similar to ours.
Gorillas live in Africa and can be found in many different habitats, from rainforest to dry woodland.
guinea pigs
guinea pigs
Scientific NameCavia porcellusAnimal SpeciesMammalRangeSouth American continentDietHerbivorous
Guinea pigs are small rodents originally from South America.
They have short, smooth fur and no tails.
Guinea pigs are wonderful pets and very friendly.
They come in a variety of colors, including brown, black, white and mottled.
Scientific NameHomo sapiensAnimal SpeciesMammal PublicationWorldwideNutritionOmnivorous
One of the most distinctive features of human beings is the absence of a tail.
Other primates such as gorillas and chimpanzees have long tails.
But humans evolved from a tailless ancestor about six million years ago.
Scientists aren’t sure why this happens, but they think it may have something to do with our upright posture.
Since we didn’t have a tail to help us balance, we had to develop other ways to stay upright.
Scientific NameHyracoideaAnimal SpeciesMammal RangeAfricaDietOmnivor
The hyrax is a small, four-legged mammal that resembles a hedgehog.
It has no tail and is found in Africa and the Middle East.
Hydras are herbivores and eat leaves, berries, flowers and bark.
They live in colonies of up to 100 animals.
Hyraxes are very social animals and they communicate with each other using various vocalizations.
Scientific NameScyphozoaAnimal SpeciesInvertebrateRangeWorldwideDietCarnivore
Jellyfish are the most primitive animals in the ocean.
They don’t have tails, but they have tentacles to catch their food.
Scientific NameApteryxAnimalTypeBirdRangeNew ZealandDietOmnivore
Kiwi is a flightless bird found in New Zealand.
This bird has no tail feathers, which makes it unique among birds.
Kiwi uses its wings to help it move, and its strong legs enable it to run fast.
Kiwis are brown or black in color and have a long beak that is used to eat insects and other small animals.
Scientific NamePhascolarctos cinereusAnimalSpeciesMammal Bow Eastern AustraliaDietHerbivorous
7Koalas are one of the few animals that do not have a tail.
They use their strong arms to climb trees and hold on.
Koalas mostly eat eucalyptus leaves, which gives them a lot of energy.
They can be found in Australia and parts of New Guinea.
Manx cat
Scientific NameFelis catusAnimalTypeMammal RangeEngland and IrelandDietCarnivore
The Manx Cat is a breed of cat without a tail.
This is because cats have a genetic mutation that causes them to lack a tail.
The Manx Cat is considered a natural breed, meaning it does not descend from any particular cat ancestry.
Instead, the Manx Cat is believed to originate from the Isle of Man, located in the British Isles.
Scientific NameDiplopodaAnimalTypeInsectRangeWorldwideDietHerbivorous
The centipede is a species of arthropod belonging to the tailless group.
The number and variety of species, which can reach 14 inches (35 cm) in length, have earned them the name “thousand-legged”.
Centipedes do not have heads: Centipedes are typically slender, long animals and can be distinguished from centipedes by the number of legs (one pair per body part in centipedes, two pairs per body part in centipedes).
Some tropical species have relatively large heads.
Scientific NameOctopodaAnimal SpeciesCephalopodRangeWorldwideDietCarnivore
Octopuses do not have a tail.
Instead, they have eight long, flexible arms that they use for swimming and catching prey.
These arms can also be used for defense, as the octopus can keep them away by wrapping them around an attacker.
The octopus’s lack of a tail makes it very agile in the water.
Scientific NamePongoAnimalTypeMammal RangeBorneoDietOmnivor
The orangutan is the largest tree-dwelling mammal in the world.
These animals have long reddish-brown hair and their males can weigh up to 200 pounds.
Orangutans are the only Great Ape without a tail.
Scientific NameSymphalangus syndactylusAnimal SpeciesMammalRangeSumatraDietOmnivor
Siamangs are a type of gibbon and the largest of all gibbons.
They live in Southeast Asia and mostly eat fruit and insects.
Unlike other gibbons, Siamangs do not have tails.
This is because their tails are completely absorbed by their bodies while they are still in embryos.
Some scientists believe that Siamangs are one of the most intelligent apes in the world, and their brains have even been compared to those of humans.
Scientific NameAraneaeAnimal SpeciesInsectRangeWorldwideNutritionCarnivore
Spiders are some of the tailless animals.
They have eight legs and webs to catch their prey.
Scientific NameAsteroideaAnimal SpeciesEchinodermRangeWorldwideDietCarnivore
Starfish do not have arms or legs, but have five “arms” extending from the central disc of their bodies.
Sea urchins are another tailless animal because they don’t have any similar structure to limbs and/or fingers as you find in many other animals (think arms and legs), including humans.
Scientific NameBufonidaeAnimal SpeciesReptilePopulationWorldwideNutrition Carnivore
Frogs are common in gardens and parks, and although they look cute, they can be quite dangerous.
Frogs do not have tails, which means they cannot use their tails to defend themselves against predators.
As a result, frogs rely on poisonous skin secretions to deter predators.
While living in South Africa I had the pleasure of seeing many of these animals up close and personal.