💥 How do cats exploit physics to always land on their feet?

2024-05-09 06:00:02

Cats have a remarkable ability to land on their feet, a phenomenon that has long intrigued scientists and animal lovers. This ability seems to defy the laws of physics, as the cat manages to reposition itself in the air without any external force. But what is the secret behind this feat?

A cat uses several methods to contort itself during a fall in order to land on its feet.
images captured in a chronophotograph by Étienne-Jules Marey (shown in the journal Nature, 1894).

The ability of cats to always land on their paws is due to two main factors: physics and neurology. Greg Gbur, physicist at theUniversité from North Carolina to Charlotte, explains that this phenomenon is linked to the conservation of angular momentum. When a cat falls from an inverted position, it can right itself by simultaneously bending and turning the front and rear parts of its body in opposite directions. In addition to the “bend and turn” method, cats use the “tuck and turn” technique. They extend their front legs and tuck their hind legs, which decreases their resistance to change in rotational motion, then do theinverse. This technique is comparable to that of a figure skater who modifies his vitesse rotation by moving your arms away or closer to your body.

Another mechanism used by cats is “tail thruster”, where the tail acts as a counterweight, helping the body rotate in the opposite direction. These contortions are made possible thanks to the extremely flexible lumbar region of cats, located between the pelvis and the rib cage, as points out John Hutchinson, professor of evolutionary biomechanics at the Royal Veterinary College of London.

From a neurological point of view, cats have a righting reflex, a complex reflex that involves the brain aware. This reflex relies on the vestibular system, which control balance and includes the semicircular canals and otoliths in theinner ear. These components detect changes in position andaccelerationand control the muscular movements necessary to land on the legs.

This righting reflex is not only seen in domestic cats; Many wild felines, as well as other animals like rats and rabbits, show similar behaviors, often in response to predatory threats.

So, far from being a simple curiosity, the ability of cats to right themselves when falling is a complex mix of physics, bodily flexibility and sophisticated neurological responses, developed over the course of evolution to maximize their chances of survival in often perilous environments.

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