tail

4 Stories

You've Never Seen a Puppy Quite Like This

Narwhal has an extra tail, between his eyes

(Newser) - An injured puppy found out in the cold in Missouri over the weekend has been appropriately named Narwhal for the tiny "unicorn horn" between his eyes. It's actually a second tail, about a third of the size of his actual tail, that serves no other purpose than making...

How Dogs' Tail Wags Speak Volumes (to Dogs)

Pooches can pick up on cues depending on whether it goes left or right

(Newser) - Wagging tails are little more complicated than you might think. A new study finds that dogs are able to pick up on friend or foe depending on whether a tail is wagging to the left or right, reports the BBC . Research from a few years back suggested that a dog...

Whale Tail Smack Knocks Out Boy, 13

But he's OK, except for a broken collarbone

(Newser) - When a humpback whale’s tail swung over a small boat in Australia, it knocked a 13-year-old boy unconscious—but he survived the onslaught, the Daily Examiner reports. “I was sitting backwards in the boat looking at Drew and the tail just whacked him and sent him flying,”...

Hot Mommas: Squirrels Use Heat to Scare off Snakes

Rattlers steer clear of hot pieces of tail

(Newser) - Squirrels aren't squirreling out of their ongoing battle with snakes, but they may be turning tail. California ground squirrels are able to intimidate rattlesnakes, researchers have found, by heating their tails 3 degrees; the rattlers perceive infrared waves, and back off. Even more surprising, the squirrels are savvy enough not...

4 Stories