From Giraffes to Widow Birds: The Longest Tails in the Animal Kingdom

Longest Tail
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Written by Rebecca Bales

Updated: February 4, 2025

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Which animal has the longest tail? While lots of animals have long tails, there are some with a tail measuring the same length as their body. Furthermore, there are animals with tails that are two, three, or even four times the size of their body! This list ranks a variety of animals with a tail equal in length or much longer than their body.

Giraffe

Longest Tail: The Giraffe
Giraffes spend most of their lives standing up; they even sleep and give birth standing up.

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) has a tail measuring up to eight feet. Its body is about eight feet long as well, making its tail the same length as its body. Giraffes live in the grasslands and woodlands of Africa in areas such as the Congo, Botswana, and Cameroon.

There’s a long tuft of black hair at the end of a giraffe’s tail that it uses when swatting flies. The population of giraffes has fallen over the last 30 years due to poaching, and they have a conservation status of Vulnerable. Fortunately, conservation efforts are now in place in many African countries to protect these majestic mammals.

The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world, and even newborn giraffes are taller than most humans. Female giraffes give birth standing up, and their young then fall a few feet to the ground when they are born. They can stand up within an hour of birth and are generally known as being animals that sleep in 35-minute intervals.

Common Thresher Shark

Longest Tail: The Common Thresher Shark
The most notable feature of the thresher shark is the long, whip-like upper lobe of their tail, which is known as the caudal fin.

The common thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) has a tail, or more specifically, a caudal fin, measuring approximately half the length of the shark’s body. Common thresher sharks are seen in many areas of the Atlantic Ocean. They travel off the coast of Cuba, southern Brazil, south Africa, and the eastern coast of the United States, and they swim in both tropical and temperate ocean water.

Common thresher sharks use their long caudal fin to swipe at their prey to stun them. The shark spots prey such as a hakefish or mackerel, swipes with its tail, and eats the fish while it’s still trying to recover from being hit. Common threshers also use their tail to defend themselves against predators such as orcas. The conservation status of this shark is Vulnerable, and it’s hunted for its meat and skin.

Long-Eared Jerboa

Longest Tail: The Long-Eared Jerboa
Long-eared jerboas catch insects by leaping quickly into the air.

The long-eared jerboa (Euchoreutes naso) is a hopping rodent with a tail measuring seven inches. This doesn’t seem so long until you find out its body is just three and a half inches long, meaning it has a tail twice the size of its body. The long-eared jerboa lives in a desert habitat, specifically in northwestern China and southern Mongolia. Despite its long tail, this rodent is named for its notably long ears. Its ears are two-thirds as long as its tiny body. The long-eared jerboa uses its tail to keep its balance as it jumps forward and up in the air.

Eastern Glass Lizard

Longest Tail: Eastern Glass Lizard
Although the glass lizard has no legs, it is a lizard — not a snake.

The eastern glass lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis) has a tail measuring 30 inches in length with a body that’s only 12 inches long. So, it has a tail twice the size of its body plus six inches. At first glance, the length of this reptile’s tail makes it look like a snake. The tail of this lizard can break off during an attack by a predator, allowing it to escape. Its tail will grow back over the course of several months or even a year. They live in North America, specifically in the United States, including southern areas of Georgia as well as South Carolina. Their habitat includes woodlands and sandy areas near wetlands.

Ring-Tailed Lemur

Longest Tail: The Ring-Tailed Lemur
Male ring-tailed lemurs put smells, from glands in their bottoms, on their tail and wave it at rivals.

The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) has a black and white ringed tail with a length stretching up to 25 inches. With a body measuring 18 inches, this animal’s tail is the length of its body plus seven inches. These creatures live in the forests of Madagascar, an island off the southeastern coast of Africa.

This mammal uses its tail in a clever way. Ring-tailed lemurs live in groups, aka troops, of around 17 members. As they move through their dense forest habitat, they hold their tails straight up in the air. So, if one member of the group takes a wrong turn, it can find its troop by looking for their tall tails. They also use their tails to keep balance on branches high up in the trees.

Black Spider Monkey

Longest Tail: The Black Spider Monkey
Spider monkeys do not have a thumb. Their four fingers are curved and look like a hook, which is a special adaptation to life in the forest.

The black spider monkey (Ateles paniscus) has a tail measuring up to 32 inches long. This is notable because its body is just 24 inches long. So, its tail is as long as its body plus an extra eight inches. These monkeys live in the tropical rainforests of South America. Black spider monkeys use their tails for lots of tasks. They use their tails to grasp food, swing to other branches, and for balance when sitting.

Angola Colobus

Longest Tail: The Angola Colobus
Angola colobuses are important for seed dispersal through their sloppy eating habits.

The Angola colobus (Colobus angolensis) is a monkey with a tail measuring 30 inches long. However, the furry black and white body of this monkey is only 27 inches long. So, its tail is the length of its body plus three inches. These animals live in the Congo Basin in Africa, where they live in the forests and lowlands as well as the mountains. However, they are classified as a Vulnerable species due to habitat loss.

The infants are born completely white and transition to their unique coloring as they grow into adulthood. The name “colobus” comes from a Greek word meaning “mutilated one,” referring to the fact that the colobus monkey has two pseudothumbs, which are just nails where each monkey’s thumb should be.

Leopard Whipray

Longest Tail: The Leopard Whipray
The leopard whipray is important in the gill and tangle net fisheries in Indonesian waters.

The leopard whipray (Himantura leoparda) has a tail measuring almost four feet long. This makes its tail as much as three times the length of its body. Leopard whiprays live in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean off the coast of New Guinea. They live near reefs and are sometimes seen near the shore on the sandy bottom of the ocean.

Leopard whiprays use their tails to steer themselves as they swim. Also, there’s a stinger on it they use to defend themselves from predators. These strange-looking creatures are hunted for their meat and cartilage. As a consequence, their conservation status is Vulnerable with a decreasing population.

Ribbon-Tailed Astrapia

Longest Tail _The Ribbon-Tailed Astrapia
The tails contrast the ribbon-tailed astrapia’s sleek black bodies, and with their mesmerizing iridescent heads, they’re really an unusual sight to see.

The ribbon-tailed astrapia (Astrapia mayeri) is a bird with a tail typically measuring three feet, sometimes even a few inches longer. This means its tail feathers are three times as long as its 12-inch body. The ribbon-tailed astrapia lives in the forests of Papua New Guinea. However, they are experiencing habitat loss due to deforestation.

This bird’s long, bright white tail feathers are a huge contrast to its black body and iridescent green head. The male uses its tail feathers to attract the attention of the less colorful females during the breeding season.

Long-Tailed Widow Bird

Longest Tail: The Long-Tailed Widow Bird
The long-tailed widow bird is one of the most conspicuous grassland species where it occurs.

The male long-tailed widow bird (Euplectes progne) is the animal with the longest tail in relation to its body. It measures three feet, which is four times the length of its nine-inch body. The male flutters and spreads its long tail feathers to attract females during the breeding season. It’s no wonder this bird sometimes goes by the Zulu name Sakabula, meaning ‘show-off.’ They are found in Botswana, Namibia, and other countries in southern Africa where they live in swampy grasslands.


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About the Author

Rebecca Bales

Rebecca is an experienced Professional Freelancer with nearly a decade of expertise in writing SEO Content, Digital Illustrations, and Graphic Design. When not engrossed in her creative endeavors, Rebecca dedicates her time to cycling and filming her nature adventures. When not focused on her passion for creating and crafting optimized materials, she harbors a deep fascination and love for cats, jumping spiders, and pet rats.

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