[Aaron]

Hmm, I'm much more of a life science person, so I'll ask a question pertaining to that.

What species of woodpecker, thought to be long extinct, was supposedly rediscovered in 2005?

[Zoo]

Ivory-billed woodpecker

[Aaron]

C'est correcte! I used to be an avid birder . Your question, Zoo.

[Zoo]

I'm not much of a birder (I can ID the big ones, and the more distinctive little ones, and I'll stop in my tracks [much harder on a bike >_<] to watch scrub jays [fascinating behavior], but I'm more interested in other things), but I was working in an ecology lab at the time, so I got to listen in on a couple discussions. Was kinda cool.

Anyway. Why can cats jump down from incredible heights without hurting themselves?

[Aaron]

Their sense of balance is good enough to let them turn over in midair and land on their feet.

[Zoo]

That was the answer I was expecting, but not the one I want . Key word in the question is "jump," although it does apply to falling as well.

Side note, kind of interesting, survival rates for cats falling from tall buildings go up after a certain floor (I believe it was the 7th but I'm not completely positive). Below that they may not have time to get into a feet down position.

[Rylkan]

I would just think it is the anatomy. Looking at how they are build, they can absorb the impact quite well, letting the impulse spread out evenly over their hind quarters especially. Same idea as when you jump, you don't want to land with straight legs, better to absorb impact my bending and moving with it.

But that is just a guess.

(As for the falling from greater heights, it breeds a question. [And Mind you, I love cats and will play with mine all day, so I am not being cruel ] What is the terminal velocity for a cat in free fall? o.o)

[Zoo]

Well, it is anatomy, but it really has more to do with the front end. The hind end is more for propulsion, it's the reason they can jump so far and high (30 feet forward and 20 feet up in the case of the cougar). If you watch cats jump down from things, which end hits first? Usually the front. There's something special about their upper body.

[I dunno, but you could figure it out with all those scary equations, right? But yeah, obviously there's going to be a limit to the height they can fall from. And I don't remember anything mentioned in what I read about injuries. Just that they're less likely to die >_<.]

[Rylkan]

Well, I wouldn't want to see any Kitty die.

But I was just using the hind legs as an example, since they seem better build for that kind of action. But then again, I'm only a Physicist, Biology and Anatomy are not my strong points.

[Zoo]

Ah. The front end does what you described very well. There's just a very specific... feature, that makes it much more effective at preventing injury.

And anatomy's not my strong point either, I'm more of an ecologist, it's just a really cool cat thing (although I think I did learn it in anatomy class...)

[Rylkan]

Is it that the joint is reversed?

[Zoo]

Nope. Their legs actually work just like ours, but they're digitigrades, they walk on their toes, so that makes the joint between toes and foot -look- like their ankle, and what would then be interpreted as the knee actually -is- their ankle. Still find myself thinking it's the other way.

Maybe if I can come up with a better hint. I guess, think about what would happen if you landed hard on your outstretched hands. Eliminate the possibilities of breaking arm bones and dislocating joints. Then go feel your cat.

[Darkness]

Uhh. A cat's forepaws' (if that's what it's called o.O) 'fingers' are spread out? Maybe. I don't know. I'm just guessing >.< But I do like to stick my fingers in between the toes of my kitties, and in between their palm and the end of their toe XD

[Ratty]

I think it's more of a 'landing-on-outstretched-limbs' but then contracting -with- the impact, to soften the landing.

So to put it shortly... increase the impact time.

And also landing on more limbs, trying to spread their weight?

[Zoo]

No, and no. Don't think I can hint anymore without giving it away . Assuming your arms held up fine, you'd probably break your collarbones (and/or shoulderblades, but they're not important here). If you tried to find a cats' you'd have a pretty hard time, because they are reduced to basically a sliver and are embedded in the chest muscles, not connected to anything. The shoulderblades are then attached only to muscle, which makes the whole area kind of like a rubber band.

Whoever wants it can take it.