27 Animals with long Tails (A to Z List +Pictures)

Animals with long tails include alligators, crocodiles, monkeys, binturong, and lizards.

Longtails are a common feature in many animals. They can be used for balance, temperature regulation, or they can even be weapons.

Take the peacock for example; their long feathers act as an ornament to attract mates.

Animals with long tails are truly amazing. From peacocks to giraffes, they all have something in common: their tails are some of the longest in the animal kingdom.

Examples of Animals with long Tails

1. Alligators

Alligators are reptiles that live in the water. They have a long tail that they use to swim with.

They also will push themselves off of their tails when they want to move faster through the water and catch prey, like fish or birds, for example. The alligator’s tail is also used as a weapon.

They will whip their tails back and forth to scare off predators or to try and stun prey before they eat it.

2. Angola Colobus

Angola Colobus is a type of monkey that has a very long tail. The tail helps the monkey balance when it swings through the trees. This keeps the monkey safe from falling out of trees while they are eating or trying to get away from predators.

3. Binturong

The Binturong is a nocturnal animal that lives in dense forests and eats fruit, berries, eggs, birds, and small mammals. They have black fur with white stripes on their face and are also known as the BearCat because of their bear-like appearance.

Their tail makes up more than half of their body length which helps them to balance when they are climbing trees.

4. Black Spider Monkey

The black spider monkey is a New World monkey that lives in the rainforest.

They have long tails that help them swing through the trees.

Their long tail also help them balance when they are walking on branches.

5. Black Wildebeest

The black wildebeest is the largest of all the wildebeests. They can weigh up to 300 pounds and stand up to three feet tall at the shoulder. Their tail is about three feet long, making up almost a third of their total body length.

The black wildebeest’s tail helps them balance while running and keeps their body temperature regulated.

6. Common Thresher Shark

The Common Thresher Shark has a tail that is longer than the shark itself.

This is because it uses this long, whip-like structure to swat its prey and stun them so they can’t swim away. When hunting for food, it will swim into schools of fish or squid and use its tail like a fishing rod to snatch its prey.

7. Crocodiles

Crocodiles have long, muscular tails that can be used as a weapon or to propel the animal through the water.

Crocodile mothers carry their young in their mouths and protect them by keeping them safe inside the mouth if they are under attack.

The tail is also helpful for crocodiles because it helps them with swimming and balancing while they are swimming.

8. Eastern Glass Lizard

The eastern glass lizard is a small lizard that is found in the eastern United States that is often mistaken for a snake.

This lizard has a long tail that it uses for balance when it climbs trees.

The tail also helps the lizard to escape from predators by distracting them while the lizard runs away.

9. Giraffe

Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world. Their long tails help them keep their balance while they are running. The tail also helps them swat away flies and other insects that might bother them.

10. Howler Monkey

The howler monkey is an animal that lives in the rainforests of South America. The howler monkeys have a very long tail and they are one of the loudest animals on earth, often being heard for miles away from where they live.

Their tails act as a scoop to help them move through their environment without getting stuck or tangled up with the vegetation.

11. Indian Giant Squirrel

The Indian giant squirrel is the largest tree squirrel species in the world. It has a long bushy tail that can grow to be longer than its body length, which measures up to 45 cm (1 ft 6 in).

12. Jesus Christ Lizard

This lizard is found in Central America. It has a long tail, which can grow to be up to twice its body length of about 30 cm.

The Jesus Christ Lizard lives mainly among trees in tropical forests including rainforests. Since these lizards live in trees, they use their long tails for balance as they move along the branches.

The tail also helps them to swim better in water. When swimming, the lizard can tuck its tail under its body and use it as a rudder to steer.

13. Leopard Whipray

This fish has a tail that is longer than its body and the fin can be used as an extra limb to help steer itself through the water. The leopard whip ray helps propel itself forward by flapping its very long, thin ‘whip-like tail around in order for it to swim faster.

14. Long-Eared Jerboa

The long-eared jerboa is a small rodent that lives in the desert. It has a tail that is twice as long as its body. The long-eared jerboa uses its tail to balance itself when it jumps.

15. Long-Tailed Giant Rat

The long-tailed giant rat is a rodent that lives in Southeast Asia. This rat has a tail that is about 9 inches long. The long tail helps the rat to balance while it climbs trees.

16. Long-Tailed Grass Lizard

The long-tailed grass lizard is a Southeast Asia. It has a long tail that is twice as long as its body. The long tail helps the lizard to balance and stay upright when it walks.

17. Long-Tailed Widow Bird

The Long-Tailed Widow Bird is found in Africa. This species of bird has a tail that is 70% longer than its body and it makes up a quarter of the total length of this animal.

The long tail helps them to balance when they are on trees and also acts as an extension for their wings, helping them maneuver better around branches.

18. Malabar Giant Squirrel

The Malabar giant squirrel is the largest tree squirrel in the world and can grow up to 20 inches long. They have a tail that makes up almost half of their body length which is 24-28 inches.

19. Pangolin

The pangolin is a small, shy creature that lives in Africa and Asia. It has a long tail that it uses to balance itself when it climbs trees. The pangolin’s tail also helps it keep its balance when it runs.

20. Red Kangaroo

The red kangaroo is the largest marsupial in the world. They can weigh up to 100 pounds and their tail can be as long as 36 inches. The red kangaroo’s tail plays a very important role in their survival.

21. Ribbon-Tailed Astrapia

The Ribbon-Tailed Astrapia is a bird that lives in the rainforest of New Guinea. This bird has one of the longest tails of any bird in the world. The tail feathers can be up to 1 foot long. These feathers are used for balance and for signaling other birds.

22. Ring-Tailed Lemur

The ring-tailed lemur is a primate that is found in Madagascar. This animal has a long tail that is about two-thirds the length of its body. The tail helps the ring-tailed lemur to balance when it leaps from tree to tree.

23. Snow Leopards

A snow leopard’s tail is almost equal to the length of its body. It uses this long tail as a counterbalance while jumping from one rock outcrop to another in mountain ranges that have heavy snows.

24. Tree Kangaroo

The tree kangaroo is a marsupial that lives in the rainforest of Australia and New Guinea.

Their tails can be up to one foot long. These tails help them balance when they are jumping through the trees and also act as a fifth limb for gripping branches.

25. Whiptail Stingray

These animals are found in the Pacific Ocean. They have a tail that is more than twice their body length. The color of these tails varies from green to blue and even purple.

26. White Nosed Coati

The white-nosed coati is a mammal that lives in Central America, North America, and South America. They are the size of a house cat and they have a long tail that is about one-third of their body length.

Their tails help them to balance when they are climbing trees and also help them to keep their balance when they are running. The white-nosed coatis also use their tails as a third arm to hold things such as fruits and berries while they eat them.

27. Woolly Monkey

Woolly Monkeys live in the tropical forests of South America. They are from the same family as Capuchin monkeys and also have a prehensile tail like them.

The Woolly Monkey does not use its tail for moving through trees but uses it for many other things such as keeping warm, mating rituals, and even holding on to their young so they do not fall.

Garreth

Hi, I’m Garreth. Living in South Africa I’ve had the pleasure of seeing most of these animals up close and personal. When I was younger I always wanted to be a game ranger but unfortunately, life happens and now at least I get to write about them and tell you my experiences.