Why do human beings still have remains of tails in our skeletal system?
Why do human beings still have remains of tails in our skeletal system?
user
This is an excellent question!  You’re right, the tail bones are referred to as “coccyx” (pronounced “kok-sis”) and are located at the bottom of the spine, near the end.  These are called coccyx because they look a little like a cuckoo bird.
assistant
What is our earliest ancestors who had functioning tails? Do we know what the species is?
user
I don’t think we know the name of the species, but we do know that tailed human ancestors lived between 190,000 and 50,000 years ago, on what we now call the Indian subcontinent.  The species is called Australopithecus afarensis.  This is one of the species that eventually leads to Homo sapiens (i.e., you and me!).
assistant
That's fascinating. Thanks for the information.
user