What do a cat, a fox and a camel have in common? Yes, they are animals. More precisely, they are mammals. If we dig around, we can find some other general data. But there is one very interesting point that may have gone unnoticed by us. What cat trackslike the other animals mentioned, they usually form one row.
If we’re doing everything right with our feline friends, the only time a house cat should leave a mark is if it knocks over a flower pot and jumps onto the sand and runs across the white tiles of the living room. We shouldn’t see domestic cat tracks in the sand, grass or snow, mainly because these are animals that, as invasive species, need to be eradicated. always at home. But suppose it eluded us or there was a catastrophe with a flowerpot. Suppose also that we saw a stray cat running along the sand on the beach.
In all these cases, we could observe that the cat’s tracks follow one line, and not two, as would be typical for an animal with two pairs of legs. This is because they usually follow what is called direct registration. Evolutionarily, this was beneficial to them for several reasons that they do not need today, but are still imprinted in their instinct.
One line of cat tracks
Animals walking in a straight line put their hind legs in place of their front legs, making a graceful swing that appears in a single line of tracks. They do this mainly for two reasons.
On the one hand, for avoid surveillance. The more tracks they leave, the easier it will be for a predator to identify them; and because they are a single line, they are more difficult to identify.
Also, if they hunt by going this way minimize the likelihood of creating noise. The area of the ground on which they place their paws is smaller, so it is more difficult for them, for example, to step on a branch. The hunter must remain quiet, so this is a very important reason to go through direct registration.
Other animals that track while walking
Cat tracks are not the only ones we can see on the same line. Other animals, such as coyotes, foxes or camels, also walk on direct recording.
When dogsHowever, wild individuals still retain this method of movement. However, unlike cats, domestic dogs, no longer having the need to hunt or remain unnoticed to avoid being hunted, do so much less frequently.
Yes, you may see a dog walking. direct registration, but just a minute. Soon after this you will probably start jumping or playing and the tracks will spread over a much larger area of land.
That’s why they belong relatives still wild, like foxes and coyotes, which usually retain this majestic and cautious mode of movement. This isn’t just a cat thing.
Source: Hiper Textual
