When you hear or read the word “tail” the first animal that comes into your mind is a dog. Yes, dogs wag their tails often, and there are many reasons why they wag their tails.
However, aside from dogs, other animals wag their tails as well, and they wag their tails for different reasons. They wag their tails to court, to show emotions, or to swat flies.
What other animals wag their tails?
So the other well-known animals aside from dogs that wag their tails are:
- Cats
- Foxes
- Wolfs
- Elephants
- Monkeys
- Fishes
- Peacocks
- Cows
- Giraffes
- Birds
- Scorpions
- Horses
Let’s take a look at some other facts about these animals and the reasons why they wag their tails!
Related Article: Animals with no tails
These Are The Other Animals Wag Their Tails
Below are the different well-known animals that wag their tails for a purpose:
Cats
Cats are one the animals that love to wag their tails. They are also well-known for being responsible animals, and they love solitude. Although cats sometimes demand their owner for petting time, there are still times that they want to be left alone.
Cats often wag their tails when they are angry or upset. They wag their tails to signalize other cats or animals that they are angry and will attack. Also, cats wag their tails to signal other cats for hunting. However, this is not always the case.
If you pay attention to the speed and direction of your cat’s tail while they wag it, you can tell what they want and what they feel. Cats will display different movements of their tails based on what they want and what they feel.
Foxes
Foxes belong to the canine group, and they are one of the fiercest animals. They are cute, and they can be pets as long as they are tamed and domesticated. Foxes show affection to their owners by grooming their owners and cuddling.
Foxes also wag their tails and it has meanings. Like dogs, foxes wag their tails when they want to show emotion. Foxes also wag their tails when they are talking to their fellow foxes. That is the way foxes usually talk to each other. They also use their tails as a blanket during cold nights.
Foxes also wag their tails to their owners as dogs do. However, some studies show that only domesticated foxes wag their tails to humans.
Wolves
Wolves are also part of the canine group, and they are the toughest canine. They are very social animals, and they love to hunt in groups called packs. The wolves’ packs are usually made up of an adult male and female wolf and their offspring of different ages.
Like foxes, wolves wag their tails to talk to each other. Wolves also wag their tails to show excitement and submission to the dominant wolf in the pack. They also wag their tails to threaten other animals.
Elephants
Elephants are mammals under the family Elephantidae, and they are the largest living land animals. They are also social animals that decide to live as groups because they believe it will give them a high chance to survive in the wild.
Elephants also wag their tails. They wag their tails to swat flies and other irritating insects around their bodies. Elephants also wag their tails to express emotions such as sadness, and happiness. They wag their tails to show love for their owner.
Another use of an elephant’s tail is holding the hands of their baby if they are traveling around.
Monkeys
Almost all primates have their tails, and most of them have them for purpose. However, not all primates have tails like some apes and humans. Monkeys are the primates who have tails, but where do they use them?
Monkeys use their tails to balance their swings. They wag their tails on trees to climb the trees. Monkeys also use their tails to defend themselves from their prey.
Fishes
Small fish or large fish, they all have tails. Almost all fishes are social animals and love to live in groups. Fishes love to save their fellow fishers. Sharks are also social animals, and they love to make friends with other large sharks. You may commonly see fishes wag their tails right?
But why do fishes wag their tails? Fishes wag their tails to help them switch direction when they swim so that they can go side to side or up and down. Also, they use their tails to help them move forward.
Peacocks
Peacocks are one of the largest birds that can’t fly. They are social animals, but they usually don’t get along with other bird species. Peacocks also love to live with groups called parties.
Peacocks have long tails, and they use them for many occasions, but they use them mainly for mating. Male peacocks use their tails for mating and to attract female peacocks. It usually starts in late February and until early August.
Cows
Cows are useful animals because they provide most of the dairy products humans consume. They are sturdy, but gentle animals and they love socializing too. Cows build a strong relationships with their families and friends, and they can last their entire lives.
Cows have long tails, and they have a use for it. Tails are an important device for socializing in cattle. Cows wag their tails to show emotions and if they are being irritated. They also wag their tails if they are about to kick and swat insects.
Giraffes
Giraffes are also social animals, and they love to live in a group. The group of giraffes is called herds, which have 10 to 20 members, and they can be up to 50 members. Giraffes have no strong social ties like other animal species except the mothers who love their offspring more than anything else.
Giraffes are playful mammals that love to nudge, bump, and snort with their fellow giraffes. Giraffes wag their tails at each other to show emotions and while in a playful state.
Horses And Donkeys
Horses and Donkeys are naturally social animals. Both of them love to live in a group that helps them to survive longer. Horses and Donkeys love also the company of humans, and they build strong relations with their owners.
Horses and Donkeys wag their tails to strike insects that irritate them, and they do this with double efficiency. They also wag their tails if they feel uncomfortable or feel angry.
Birds
Birds are social creatures, and they live in a flock. They are one of the most intelligent animals in the world. When you look at the sky, you will see birds flying with many companions on its back. They are usually migrating or hunting when they are flying with their flocks.
Like dogs, birds wag their tails to express their emotions. Tail flipping and tail wagging are usually a sign of happiness to birds. They also wag their tail when they feel angry, and it is also a sign of aggression.
Scorpions
Scorpions are arachnids, and they usually have eight legs. Scorpions have tails to release a poison as their defensive mechanism. However, not all scorpions have tails. Some scorpions don’t need them.
Scorpions wag their tails to relieve themselves. They also wag their tails on some surfaces in a repetitive way to loosen their old exoskeleton. Also, they wag their tails to attack their targets if needed.
Not only scorpions are the small animals that have tails. Some insects also have tails, and they use them for different reasons. Like mosquitoes, mosquitoes use their tails to get blood as their food. Most insects with tails use their tails to get food and feed themselves.
Why Do Animals Wag Their Tails?
Most animals that have tails use their tails for so many situations and circumstances. However, not all animals have tails because they don’t need one. What are the different reasons why animals wag their tails?
Most animals with tails wag their tails to show emotion and to express themselves to others. Large animals like cows wag their tails to swat different insects that irritate them. Animals like cats and monkeys use their tails to balance themselves. Unanimously, animals wag their tails to express their emotions to other animals and humans.
Do All Animals Wag Their Tails When Happy?
The best answer to this is no. Not all animals wag their tails when they are happy. Animals with tails such as goats wag their tails to express different emotions, not just when they feel happy. Other animals wag their tails not to express emotions but as a defensive mechanism.
The basic tail wag usually expresses friendliness and is commonly a sign of reassurance for humans, mostly dogs, not to run away from them. Also, tail wagging might be a signal of aggression for animals so be aware.
Tail wagging is like sign language. Different directions and speeds of wagging have different meanings. Some animals wag their tails fast if they are scared or anxious, and some animals wag their tails in different directions as a sign of showing different kinds of emotions.
Why Do Dogs Wag Their Tails?
Dogs are animals well-known for tail wagging. They are one of the friendliest animals on earth, and they are man’s best friends. There are different reasons why dogs wag their tails, but the common reason is to express their emotions.
Dogs wag their tails to express different kinds of emotions such as happiness, nervousness, anxiety, sadness, excitement, and submission. Also, dogs will wag their tails if they want something from their owners like if they want to be touched or if they want food. They also wag their tails to other dogs as a sign of friendship.
Why Do Other Dogs Never Wag Their Tails?
Even though most dogs love to wag their tails to express emotions, some unlucky dogs never experience controlling their tails but actually, it is a sickness for dogs.
Why do other dogs never wag their tails?
One factor that may affect the wagging of tails on dogs is their breed. So it means that there are some breeds of dogs that don’t often wag their tails. Other reasons why dogs never wag their tails are depression, anxiety, or if they are sick. So check on your dog often and bring them to the veterinarian if needed.
What Animal Wag Their Tails To Attack Enemies?
Different animals wag their tails to attack their enemies. Let me give you some well-known animals:
Scorpions use their tails for self-defense, and they also use them for an attack. They wag their tails into their enemies or prey to deliver a deadly dose of poison. If you have been transmitted poison by a scorpion, you should go right away to the doctor because it may cause death.
Whales are the animals that have the biggest tails. They use their tails for self-defense, usually against sharks that want to eat them. Wails wag their tails into their enemies or targets to swat them away. The weight of the tail of a whale is equal to the weight of an elephant. It is indeed painful if you have been wagged by whales.
The other animals that wag their tails to attack their enemies are lizards, porcupines, pangolins, and aardvarks. They got this trait from their ancestor, dinosaurs. Researchers have found that these animals adapt to the defensive mechanisms of dinosaurs.
Final Words
There are many reasons why animals wag their tails, and studying each meaning of the wag of their tail will cause headaches. All we need to know is that when animals wag their tails they express something, and we need to listen using our human instincts.
Animals that have tails need their tails like how we humans need our arms. Everybody is part of living creatures who has a determination, and we need complete and healthy bodies to perform well.
