The assured ability of felines to land on their paws stems from the exceptional suppleness of their thoracic spine, which facilitates sequential rotation of the front and rear sections of their bodies, according to Japanese researchers.
Japanese biologists from Yamaguchi University have pinpointed the physiological process enabling these animals to orient themselves during free-fall, as reported by New Scientist.
The key to this capability lies in the remarkable mobility of a particular segment of the spinal column.
“When we contrasted the flexibility of the feline thoracic and lumbar spine sections, we observed that the chest region possesses tremendous pliability,” explained Yasuo Higurashi, the study’s lead author. Testing demonstrated that the upper back can rotate three times as effectively as the lower back.
High-speed video recording of falls from a height of one meter verified the success of the “tuck and twist” maneuver. The animals initially rotate their torso leveraging their forelegs, subsequently engaging their rear quarters. Physicist Greg Gbur acknowledged the convincing nature of this hypothesis given the new evidence.
The investigation also uncovered an unexplained predilection in cats to twist consistently toward the right side. Experts speculate that the configuration of their internal organs may account for this asymmetry in movement.
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