Animals, Plants & Seasons 2-minute video · ages 4-8 · free coloring page
Why do cats always land on their feet?
Have you ever seen a cat jump down from a high shelf? It twists in the air, and plop! It lands on its feet. How does a cat always land on its feet?
2 min
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Free coloring page
The scene from the video as a coloring page, plus the three-sentence answer, the experiment, and a QR code back to this page. One sheet, US Letter, black and white.
The answer in three parts
Why?
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It starts inside the ears.
Deep in each ear there are tiny tubes filled with liquid. When a cat tips or turns, the liquid moves, and tells its brain which way is up and which way is down.
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Head first, then the front half, then the back half.
The cat turns its head, so its eyes can see the ground. Next it twists the front half of its body, so the front paws point down. Then it twists the back half, to catch up.
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A super bendy back, and legs like a parachute.
A cat's backbone bends and twists much more than yours, so its body can turn in the middle, like a spring. Then it spreads its legs out wide, like a little parachute, and its bendy legs fold like springs to soften the bump.
For grown-ups: Cats do not always land safely! A short fall gives a cat too little time to turn, and a high fall can still hurt it. So never drop a cat, or throw one, not even for fun.
The landing trick, step by step
- Earsfind which way is down
- Headturns to see the ground
- Front halftwists
- Back halftwists to catch up
- Legsspread out like a parachute
A tiny experiment
Try it!
Balance like a cat
You need: just you
- Stand on one leg.
- Now close your eyes.
- Is it harder?
What happened? Your eyes help your ears keep your balance, just like a cat's.
Did you know?
Scientists call this the righting reflex. Kittens start to learn it when they are about three weeks old, and they get really good at it by about seven weeks.
Your guide in this video
I'm Midnight, the little black cat. Landing on my feet is my best trick!
Midnight has green eyes and a white chest patch, and hosts all of our pet questions.
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