Finding Stuff Out

Tails (3x8)

Air date: May 02, 2014

Harrison’s computer says that people do have tails. How is that possible?! To find out more about tails, Harrison invites animal experts who bring over a live kangaroo, skunk, marten, and snapping turtle. Turns out, different animals use their tails for different purposes. “Why don’t humans have tails?” Does a rabbit’s short tail make it harder to catch? To find out, challengers put on both long and short tails, and then have to run for their lives as “carnivores” try to catch them by the tail. Harrison visits a paleontologist at the natural history museum. By comparing vertebrate skeletons, Harrison discovers that tails – including our tailbones -- are evolutionary adaptations.