Those TAILS can tell TALES...

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Tails flipped over the rear are normally an indication of submission, insecurity or uncertainty. Flipped tails may be also asking a question. In this instance, a younger or less dominant male flips his tail back over his rear to signal his non-challenging position to a more dominant male. Babies will approach their mothers for nursing with tails flipped. Interestingly, once they begin to nurse, the tail will slowly come back down. Sometimes an alpaca or llama will flip the tail when approaching another animal or human or when another animal or human approaches them. In this instance, flipping the tail may have slightly different meanings from insecurity to asking a question depending upon the circumstance.

Both of these babies present a healthy and alert body language stance with ears forward. The white baby is very balanced with his tail in an alert position. The dark baby is less balanced in himself and has placed his tail in a submissive, more uncertain or insecure position. Notice how the body language (including balance) of both these youngsters comes together in telling a tale of what each may be thinking and how each may be feeling.

Alpacas and llamas that are feeling well and balanced mentally, emotionally and physically, will normally present the above noted tail expressions on a day-to-day basis. By using these behavioral expressions or positionings as a base line, it is much easier to recognize when communications through the tail might be providing additional and more specific information. Additional information may be provided in a tail that is:

• Clamped -- tucked under, held tight to the body
• Stiff, immobile
• Continually held in a high arch
• Excessively wagging, swishing or twitching

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