Khaberni - The phenomenon of cats -always- landing on their feet has been one of the mysteries that baffled scientists for over 130 years, as observed by French physiologist Etienne Jules Marey in 1894 through primitive video clips that cats are able to adjust their posture during a fall.
Today, a team of scientists led by Yasu Higorashi, a specialist at Yamaguchi University in Japan, attempted to solve this mystery through a study published in the journal The Anatomical Record. Higorashi explained that one of the difficulties in explaining this phenomenon is that the anatomy of cats has not been studied in detail.
To overcome this gap, the team examined different parts of the cat's spinal column using donated cadavers, and conducted an experiment with two live cats dropped from a height of one meter onto a thick, soft cushion to avoid any injury.
The results showed that the upper thoracic vertebrae in the cat's spinal column are characterized by extraordinary flexibility, to the extent that Higorashi says: "the cat's thoracic column can rotate like our necks do." This flexibility allows cats to quickly orient the upper part of their body towards the ground, enabling them to adjust the rest of their body and its positioning during the fall.
According to experts, although the study does not provide a final answer about the secret of cats landing on their feet, it highlights the importance of the flexibility of the upper spinal column in this phenomenon, and opens up prospects for a better understanding of the complex movements of these agile animals.
