Tails are mostly used as a means of communication in dogs and do not play an important role in dogs’ agility, according to a new study.
New scientific research has revealed what dogs’ tails actually do. Previous studies had shown that tails play a vital role in controlling the movements of various animals. For example, it affects body management in lizards, and in squirrels it helps balance when rotating the body, according to recent research.
In cheetahs, for example, tail movement was critical during agile movements, and their tails remained motionless while chasing prey, sometimes allowing quick turns of almost 180 degrees.
INCREASES RESISTANCE 35 PERCENT
Previous research has revealed that in mammals, tails can have the effect of increasing the body’s resistance to rotation by up to 35 percent, generally when falling or during other activities.
However, the new study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed but published Saturday on preprint site bioRxiv, found that tail movement had “almost no effect” in dogs when jumping and running.
By contrast, researchers, including names from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany, say the use of tails in dogs may have evolved for more specific purposes, such as communication and pest control.
In the study, the scientists created a mathematical model to evaluate what happens when dogs bend their trunks and move their legs and tails as they jump.
The dogs in the model were examined in 17 sections consisting of head, neck, upper body, lower body, upper limb, lower limb, paw and tail attached to each limb.
The findings show that tails have almost no effect on the trajectory of dogs when they jump into the air.
“Given the incredibly low angular momentum, at this point where the tail influences the center of mass in a number of canines and mammalian species, we believe the canine tail is primarily adapted for communication with an incredibly small proportion growing in length,” the scientists wrote in the study.
The researchers say dogs may be using their tails for different behavioral communications, and the study shows that they respond more positively to tail wagging as a sign of social friendliness.
“Another explanation could be that tails are used in pest control to repel flies or other animals,” the scientists write.
Addressing some of the limitations of the study, the scientists say morphological data are not widely available for some rare and endangered dog breeds.
Further studies of tail movements in smaller dog breeds may confirm the new findings.