About that Tail...

I was inspired to write this article by a conversation I overheard between a woman and a pet store employee the other day.  A mother and her daughter had entered the store and were looking at the small animals.  After letting her daughter look for a little while, the mother called over one of the staff members and told him that she and her daughter would like to pick out a small pet. 

"Anything as long as it doesn't have a tail" the mother said as she looked directly at the rats.

The store employee didn't argue (the customer is always right.... right?) and they decided to take home a hamster.

Now, I have nothing against hamsters.  I had hamsters growing up and absolutely adored them at the time (just ask my primary school teachers about all those hamster stories and poems I wrote...).  This article isn't about comparing hamsters and rats, but it is about the factor that often makes a person choose one over the other: that long tail.

Rat tails bother many people.  The bare, thin tail contrasts sharply with the furry body and I think many people associate rat tails with the appearance of worms or snakes.  People often don't know about the usefulness of that bare tail and don't understand how it is a wonderfully adaptive feature.  To them, the tail is ugly and therefore they want to avoid an animal that has it.  People are afraid of things that they don't understand, which unfortunately often applies to rats in general.

I would like to take this opportunity to share some facts about rat tails.  With knowledge comes understanding, and with understanding often comes respect and admiration.

Rats use their tails for balance, much like their cousins the squirrels who run through the branches of trees.  When rats are running or walking quickly on a flat surface, they do not drag their tails limply behind them, but rather keep them lifted a centimetre or so off the ground.  If a rat is running along a narrow surface such as a rope, the tail constantly moves from side to side to steady them.  This is the same method used by tightrope walkers who move a pole to help them stay balanced on the wire.

When a rat is on an unstable or moving object (such as his or her owner's shoulder or arm) he or she will use the tail as a counterbalance.  The rat manages to stay balanced by curling its tail under or against the object. This moves the rat's centre of gravity, keeping it balanced.

The long tail is also partly responsible for the outstanding ability of rats to climb.  When climbing up or down a rope, rats will curl their muscular tail around the rope for extra stability (Photo: Copyright A&R Arthur, 2001 http://www.dapper.com.au).  

Another important feature of the tail is its role in body temperature regulation.  The rat has specialised blood vessels that can control the amount of blood that flows to the tail. Because it lacks fur, the tail is not insulated so blood flowing into the skin of the tail carries heat which is then radiated out of the body via the tail. The rat can direct anywhere between 0.1 and 10 per cent of its cardiac output to the tail.  If a rat is hot, up to 20 percent of the its metabolic heat can be released in this way. If a rat is cold, it can restrict blood flow to the tail, reducing heat loss.  I have observed this phenomenon with my own rats.  In the morning when the apartment is cooler, the tails of my rats are cooler to the touch because they are conserving heat.  When the room is warmer during the day, their tails are warmer to the touch because they do not have to conserve as much heat.  It is interesting to note that we humans radiate heat through our skin to regulate body temperature as well.

The tail is a strong but somewhat fragile feature of rats.  A rat must never be picked up by the tail.  If a rat is picked up by the end of his or her tail, the skin can be pulled off.  Since the tail has a large supply of blood vessels, any injury to the tail can result in significant bleeding.

There is a variety of rat called the Manx or tailless rat which, as its description implies, has no tail.  Tailless rats are sometimes offered as a solution to some people's aversion to the rat tail.  Tailless rats are slightly smaller than normal have either a very short, stubby tail or no tail at all.  They can suffer genetic defects (dislocated or fused hips) if bred without proper planning and knowledge.  Since the tail functions to regulate body temperature, tailless rats may have problems doing so (this topic is still being debated).  When bred properly, tailless rats are an interesting variety and I am sure they are a joy to have just like other rats.  Like blues and dumbos, they have their own special appeal as a variety.  However, I think it is wrong to think that tailless rats should be bred to appease people with aversions to tails.  It would be much better to educate people on how interesting and useful rat tails are, and to work on convincing them that tails aren't 'all that bad'.  A rat's tail is a well-designed and remarkable feature.

I don't think it is sad that the little girl got a hamster, but I do think it is sad that she didn't get to consider all her options.  She has witnessed her mother's aversion to rat tails and therefore is more likely to have the same opinion later on as she grows up.  This is extremely unfortunate because I think a pet should be considered based on its potential for affection, temperament, and personality - not on the presence or absence of a tail.  To simply reject the idea of having a rat as a pet due to its tail seems, well, ridiculous especially once you realize how special that tail is.

(if you can't see the red menu bar on the left, click here)