Why did apes lose their tail?
Was there any evolutionary advantage to not having a tail? Was it simply that it was no longer needed, so growing one was wasted energy and nutrition? Or was it just dumb chance that the common ancestor of apes didn't have a tail (or perhaps the lack of a tail moved it down a trajectory separate from that of monkeys)?
you can go here
>>20899
/an/ is better qualified to give relevant examples of vestigial appendages disappearing/not disappearing than an open-ended search in the library.
You have a tail bone in your ass
Do the animal you mean have a tail bone?
>>21139
I'm rather asking if it's an inevitability that a body part that is useless is selected against and will eventually disappear (or only remain as the most vestigial of traits, like our tail bone).
A tail probably doesn't need a lot of nutrients to grow and maintain, or at least not enough to make a big difference, but it would be vulnerable to injury (which could mean infections etc.)
Is that strong enough of a pressure to eventually lose it, or is it theoretically possible for it to persist for hundreds of generations regardless?
>>21207
When it loses use. It will also matter less in offspring selection. This may come from environmental changes or whatever. For example less vines for monkeys to climb on and more forced to be on ground level and be quick without a tail. Shitty example .
But it doesnt matter if it doesnt need to go away. When it means less in breeding it eventually can become lost.
Also check whale bones
>>21468
Hm, I see. Thanks for the response.