# Why do pigs have tails? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 16, 2001, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pigs-have-tails/72676 "2001-07-16T14:16:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fredge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Fredge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fredge)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pigs-have-tails/72676/1 "2001-07-16T14:16:44Z")
Why do pigs have those curly little tails? Do they serve any function for the pig? I can’t imagine they would assist in balance. I can’t see them being used as ‘feelers’ and I’m sure they aren’t able to grab/hold things with them. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pigs-have-tails/72676/2 "2001-07-16T15:49:44Z")
Lots of animals have tails that serve no apparent purpose or provide any obvious direct benefit. I think your question is really why didn’t their tails evolve away like ours did? Apparently a pig’s tail has some benefit or advantage and we can’t readily see it or there was no disadvantage to having one so there was no reason to lose it. I know that in many animals the wagging of the tail is a mood signal so perhaps that’s the case with pigs. Perhaps they wag their tails, however small, when they are happy or excited. Without being a pig it’s hard to know for sure, of course… ---
**Author:** ![RainbowDragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6a8cbe/32.png) [@RainbowDragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RainbowDragon)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pigs-have-tails/72676/3 "2001-07-16T16:37:24Z")
“The pig he saw his monkey friend Swing’n by his other end Tried the same thing on a rail That’s how the pig got a curly tail” At least that is what Uncle Remus said. ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pigs-have-tails/72676/4 "2001-07-16T16:55:38Z")
Pig tails serve a social function rather than a utilitarian one. People who have pet pigs report that they wag their tails when excited or content, much like dogs. Not all pigs have curly tails, either. The “wilder” breeds like Pot-Belly Pigs have short, straight tails. I wonder if the curly tail is a result of of the domestication process. Pigs raised as livestock have their tails removed at a young age, because pigs in crowded conditions tend to bite or cannibalize one another. ---
**Author:** ![Fredge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Fredge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fredge)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pigs-have-tails/72676/5 "2001-07-16T22:53:22Z")
Thanks for the replies everyone. That’s about the lines I was thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pigs-have-tails/72676/6 "2001-07-17T03:42:24Z")
They’re sort of like a necktie for your butt. (bonus points to anyone who catches the reference). For that matter, why do humans have hair? It sure doesn’t do much. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pigs-have-tails/72676/7 "2001-07-17T06:51:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*They’re sort of like a necktie for your butt. > (bonus points to anyone who catches the reference). \*\* Calvin and Hobbes, right? ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2001, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-pigs-have-tails/72676/8 "2001-07-17T07:36:59Z")
1. to keep the flies away from their, um, private parts 2. for the farmer to hold it by