Yes, giant pandas do have a tail, and the color and thickness of their tails vary greatly from small to large. Click the panda tail to see how to raise its tail in the video.
1. Changes in Panda Tail
The newborn panda is pink in color, resembling a small mouse in appearance and size. Newborn panda's tail is slender and has sparse white fur on its surface. At this point, its small body can highlight the presence of its tail, which can reach a length of 1/4 of its body length.
As they age, the length of pandas' tails is limited compared to their body, but their width increases. The slender tails gradually transform into wide, short and flat tails (anus curtains, not round). Compared to their large bodies, tails less than 1/10 of their body length are quite short, leading to their often overlooked existence.
In fact, from birth to adulthood, the length of a panda's tail increases a little, but its width mainly increases. And the pink tail becomes white color as they grow up. Same color with the body, and compared with the body length and huge size of adult panda, the flat tail is not too prominent, which makes many people to misunderstand that pandas have no tails.
2. Panda Tail: Short But Useful
The tail of the panda is short, only about 10-12 cm in length compared with the huge body, fluffy, and usually close to the body. Although pandas usually have their tails hanging low and tightly attached to their buttocks, and cannot swing their tails like cats and dogs to express emotions, their tails occupy a significant position in their world.
Pandas' tails have a hairless exposed area at the base, which is where the perianal glands are located. They will use a flat, brush like tail to apply perianal gland secretions for odor labeling, thereby achieving communication with other giant pandas. Silent communication is comparable to verbal communication.
Pics from iPanda, Pandapia