Tail and attachment question!

It's been a really long time since I've posted to the Fursuit LJ community I just realized. :O

Anyway, I'm wondering about the best way to create and attach a tail to my current fursuit project!

I'm making a tail that needs to be off of the ground and relatively non-flexible (crocodile!). I'm a huge fan of making sure my costumes are easy to transport, so I'd like the tail to be separate from the bodysuit and also as lightweight as possible.




My intention is making the black stripe at the base of the tail a sort of socket and then have the tail "plug" into the socket for a relatively seamless transition. What do y'all think? How would I best construct the tail for something like that, solid foam (my current prototype is rings of foam on a wire contraption that seems like it'll be a pain to complete)? Also what do you guys think about how to attach the tail to myself and make sure that it's stable? Just a thick belt, or something else?

If you need any further clarification, let me know and I'll try to scribble out some more diagrams. :3

Thanks!