In a study titled A True Human Tail in Neonate, they describe the case of an infant born with a tail. The boy, born prematurely at 35 weeks, had a 12-inch appendage with no bone or cartilage. Moreover, the child had jaundice and a 2-inch wide ball.
The researchers’ study published in the Journal of Pediatric Case Surgery Reports details how the appendage kept growing, giving the baby a tail. Fortunately, doctors believed that it would not cause any health complications. Despite this, the family still decided they wanted surgeons to remove it.
Surgeons successful removed the tail
The surgeons were able to remove the tail without affecting the child’s nervous system. Because the skin and the nervous system have similar embryonic origins, they utilized ultrasonography to ensure the nervous system was fine.
Although the child’s mother had been relatively healthy before her pregnancy and did not use any drugs or alcohol, she admitted to smoking ten packets of cigarettes while she was pregnant. Moreover, she developed a urinary tract infection (UTI) in the early stages of her pregnancy, leading to doctors giving her medication to treat it.
True and pseudo-human tails
Scientists characterize human tails into pseudo and real human tails. There have been few cases of children born with real human tails. A true human tail consists of nerve fibers, muscle, blood vessels, connective tissue, and fat.
Most embryos develop a tail during the fourth week of gestation. However, this tail soon disappears after eight weeks and a coccyx replaces it. When it doesn’t, the baby can be born with a tail.
True human tails very rarely occur. They are more likely to occur in male infants than female ones. Fortunately, they are not hereditary. Some scientists speculate that ancient humans had tails. However, due to evolution, they no longer needed them; hence they started to disappear. However, other scientists believe that abnormalities cause these tails in the spinal column.
A pseudo tail is more common than a true tail. It consists of bone, cartilage, or adipose tissue. Doctors often link it to Spina Bifida, a deformity of the tail bone.
