Detect a mechanism to help

Researchers have discovered the "artistic" grounding mechanism in cats.

For a long time, people have always admired the ability to land on the four legs of cats despite falling at high altitudes. However, scientists still question the full mechanism of landing cats.

Chairman of London Zoology Association - Professor Patrick Bateson of Cambridge University said: "Cat's grounding skills are very special, it is considered a" sophisticated "art of falling.

Cats have a very high sense of balance and have a flexible backbone, which allows them to twist their bodies to adjust their posture when they fall - an innate ability called "reflexes" . This particular reflex has been formed in kittens, when they are about 3 weeks old and they completely master this skill at 7 weeks of age.

When a cat jumps or falls from above, it uses the vestibular or visual system to determine the bottom, then twists the upper half of its body to face down. Next, the lower half of the body follows.

Cats are also supported by their compact bodies, light bone structure, thick fur, which helps reduce velocity and minimize the impact around. Some cats also turn around to flatten their bodies, helping to create an airborne umbrella that makes them fall more slowly. Along with that, the nails on cat feet will be expanded to have good grip when landing.

A few experiments have been done in the past to show that the cat Nelly had an injury when falling from the top of the wardrobe. The researchers said that the lower the height, the more vulnerable the cat is . The reason is because they do not have enough time to be able to "twist themselves" in the right position and get balance when landing.