![]() ![]() It’s kind of comparable to how you can feel when someone touches your fingernail – it’s not sensitive, but you definitely notice it when someone is touching it. However, it’s not the most sensitive part of their body because it is quite scaly. ![]() Their tails are not particularly sensitive In captivity, this is less of a problem and there is even a tailless rat type, but it’s definitely not ideal for them. If they lose their tail in an encounter with a predator it means that they’re less effective at climbing and temperature control which makes their life significantly harder because it will be more difficult for them to get away from predators and to maintain proper body temperature. I’ve already mentioned that rats need their tails for 3 important purposes: temperature control, balance, and communication. In captivity, they will survive just fine without it but in the wild, they will be at a severe disadvantage. Rats can live without their tail in captivity and in the wild. ![]() Rats can live without their tail if necessary As you can see, it looks extremely relaxed and happy. This video gives a perfect demonstration of a rat wagging its tail. However, they can also wag it when they’re happy, just like dogs, which can make interpreting rat body language a bit difficult. After all, we sometimes use our hands for non-verbal communication but we probably don’t have hands for the purpose of communication, we simply use them for this purpose because we can.Īn example of rats using their tails for communication is that rats may flick their it from side to side when they’re anxious or stressed. However, it can be debated whether they have the tail for communication, or whether they simply use it for communication because they have it for the aforementioned reasons. The third reason why rats have tails is communication. Rats are excellent climbers, and this is not in small part due to this important appendage! 3. Without a tail, they would be unable to maintain their balance, and thus they would be unable to climb difficult obstacles. If he does not, he will not be able to climb it successfully because the rat and the rope will reach the moment of inertia, meaning that the rope will rotate and the rat will eventually fall off. For instance, if a rat is climbing on a rope it should keep its center of gravity right above the rope. The way it helps them keep their balance is that it allows them to keep their center of gravity at the proper spot. Rats climb a lot, and their tail helps them with that. The second reason why rats have tails is that it helps them to keep their balance. Vice versa, when a rat is feeling cold, it will constrict the blood vessels in its tail meaning less blood will flow into the appendage, thus increasing the rat’s internal body temperature. The blood then cools down which reduces their internal temperature. If they want to cool down, they dilate the blood vessels so blood will flow into their tail. They do this by dilating and constricting the blood vessels they have in their tail. This means that it is an excellent way for them to cool down when they’re too hot. Their tail makes up only 5% of the surface area of their body but can dissipate around 17% of their body heat. The first reason why rats have tails is for temperature control. Rats use their tails for temperature control ![]()
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