Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-14138255-20161225162718/@comment-30869555-20161230035108

Arkantos95 wrote: That tail is just an anatomical anomaly. It's an invertebrate limb somehow attatched to a vertebrate body that is somehow able to fully function, has an exoskeloton rigid enough to deflect sniper rounds without flinching, and yet somehow has the elasticity and flexibility to be completely prehensile and stretch multiple times the lenght of Tyrian's body. The reason why it is able to deflect sniper fire is because of his aura combined with it's skin being thicker then human skin. That would explain why rubys scythe was able to slice it off after his aura barrier was depleted, while his tail was not damaged from the sniper rounds. How tyrian and qrow could still be very fast even after having their aura barriers depleted would support my earlier theory.

Though it would bring up the question how capable amber was, since she was incapable of fighting and had a hard time moving after having her barrier depleted.