Scientists in Japan have finally explained why cats almost always land on their feet

The ability of cats to flip in the air and land on their feet has long amazed people and is considered one of the most famous phenomena in the animal world. Now researchers from Yamaguchi University in Japan have found out exactly how this mechanism works.

The results of the work are published in the scientific journal The Anatomical Record.

To understand why cats almost always land on their feet, the scientists studied the structure of their spine. They analysed the spines of five cats and separately tested the thoracic and lumbar spines for flexibility and resistance to twisting.

It turned out that the cat's spine has unequal mobility. The thoracic spine is much more flexible and is able to twist freely by about 50 degrees almost effortlessly. The lumbar spine, on the other hand, is more rigid and has a stabilising function.

In addition to anatomical studies, the scientists used high-speed cameras. They filmed two healthy cats falling on a soft surface by placing special markers on the animals' shoulders and hips. This allowed them to accurately track the body's movement in the air.

The analysis showed that during the fall, the cat first turns its head and the front part of its body. This is possible due to the flexibility of the thoracic spine. After that, the rear part of the body unfolds following the front part.

The rigid lumbar spine acts as a stabiliser and helps to control the movement. As a result, the cat's body unfolds in stages - first the front part, then the back part - which allows the animal to change its position in the air and land on its feet.

According to the authors of the study, these results may be useful not only for studying animal behaviour. They will help improve biomechanical models of movement, can be used in veterinary medicine to treat spinal cord injuries, and can even be used to create more manoeuvrable robots.