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July 14, 2006

Strange But True!

Q. How do cats pull off “the amazing cat trick” of getting into position to land on their feet after falling or being dropped from any angle?

A. Without having anything to push off or twist against, the cat extends its rear legs and twists the front half of its body toward the ground, says Exploratorium.edu. Its rear half rotates the opposite way, but not as far, thus conserving angular momentum. Then the cat extends its front legs and twists its tucked rear legs toward the floor. “By repeating these motions, the cat may gain sufficient net rotation to land with its paws on the ground.”


 
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