Question: WHY DO HUMANS NOT HAVE TAILS

Samuel Ellis answered on 27 Jan 2022:

Over a very long time (millions of years) as we evolved to walk on two legs on the ground we did not need one any more, unlike other primates like monkeys who use them for gripping and balance in trees for example. We are not alone in this, other apes do not have tails either (think about gorillas and chimpanzees).

We still have evidence of when our ancestors had tails though, as the very bottom of our spine ends in the tailbone (proper name is Coccyx) where the tail would have started. It is one example of a vestigial feature, basically the last remaining bit of something we have evolved to no longer need. Another example are wisdom teeth, which were probably very useful for early humans who had to chew tough plants, but are now not needed for modern diets and actually often cause dental problems!