CHEETAHS have a trick up their sleeve when it comes to bringing down prey,
says an Italian biologist. Unlike other cats, their claws are blunt and
straight, and can’t be retracted. Because of this biologists had assumed that
cheetahs simply knock down their prey with the force of their charge. But
Tiziano Londei of the University of Milan looked again at studies of cheetah
behaviour and anatomy and found that they use their dewclaws—their
equivalent of thumbs—to hook prey and pull them off balance (Journal
of Zoology, vol 251, p 535). Dewclaws are usually thought to be…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from 91av
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending 91av articles
1
Red-light therapy does have health benefits but not the ones you think
2
Woman in cancer remission without treatment in highly unusual case
3
Man destined for Alzheimer's may have been saved by accidental therapy
4
Where has the deadly hantavirus come from and how does it spread?
5
PCOS postpones perimenopause and allows pregnancies at older ages
6
Hantavirus outbreak will not cause a covid-style pandemic, says WHO
7
A lost ancient script reveals how writing as we know it really began
8
The 50-year quest to create a quantum spin liquid may finally be over
9
300-year-old experiment could become world's best dark matter detector
10
We have figured out a new way to send messages into the past
