Trending Now - Researchers Uncover Mechanism Behind Cats' Landing Ability

WHO:

Yasuo Higurashi, veterinary physiologist, Yamaguchi University, Japan

Étienne-Jules Marey, French physiologist

Greg Gbur, physicist, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

WHAT:

A new study published in The Anatomical Record explores how cats land on their feet when falling.

The study measured torque, rotation angle, stiffness, and neutral zone of cat spines.

The thoracic spine of cats has a range of motion about three times greater than the lumbar spine.

The thoracic spine's stiffness is about one-third lower than that of the lumbar spine.

The thoracic spine has a neutral zone of about 47 degrees, while the lumbar spine has no neutral zones.

Two live cats were dropped eight times from a height of about 1 meter (3.3 feet) to study their falling behavior.

The time difference in rotation between the front and back halves of the cats was around 94 milliseconds for one cat and 72 milliseconds for the other.

WHERE:

Yamaguchi University, Japan

The study involved tests on donated cat cadavers.

WHEN:

The study was published in March 2026.

Étienne-Jules Marey's findings were published in 1894.

A related study on living, anesthetized cats was conducted in 1998.

WHY:

The research aims to clarify how differences in trunk flexibility affect locomotor performance in mammals.

HOW:

Researchers harvested spinal columns from five donated cat cadavers, leaving ligaments and intervertebral discs intact.

Each spine was divided into thoracic and lumbar regions and tested in a torsion rig.

High-speed cameras were used to film the falling behavior of live cats.

(UPDATED March 12, 2026 11:10 UTC)

A new study published in The Anatomical Record explores the fascinating mechanics behind how cats manage to land on their feet when they fall. Conducted by researchers at Yamaguchi University, the study involved measuring the torque, rotation angle, and stiffness of cat spines, revealing that the thoracic spine has a range of motion about three times greater than the lumbar spine. To gather data, the team dropped two live cats from a height of about one meter, observing a time difference in rotation of around 94 milliseconds for one cat and 72 milliseconds for the other.