Dogs use their tails to communicate. Eastimages/Moment via Getty Images Whether they belong to reptiles, insects, birds or mammals, tails serve a wide variety of purposes. Modern animals use their ...

WASHINGTON — Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don’t we? Somewhere around 20 million or 25 million years ago, when apes diverged from monkeys, our branch of the tree of life shed tails.

Tails might look like nature’s afterthought but for many animals, they’re multitasking power tools. Whether it’s balancing, fighting, flirting, or escaping predators, tails do way more than just wag.

Q. My third-grader came up with these two questions: Which animals do not have tails? How many different ways do animals use tails? A. Most vertebrates, that is, animals with a backbone, have an ...

With a nearly impenetrable hide covered in spikes, the ankylosaurus was like a dinosaur version of an armored tank. And like any battlefield behemoth, it boasted a fearsome weapon: a bone-crushing ...

The clip is a reminder that some of the ocean's most breathtaking animals are still out there.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails. Why don't we? Somewhere around 20 million or 25 million years ago, when apes diverged from monkeys, our branch of the tree of life shed ...