Cats have adorable ears, don’t they? It’s amazing how cute those little triangles are on a kitten’s head. However, they aren’t exclusively good for looks. Like other creatures, cats use their ears for hearing. In fact, felines have exceptional skill in this sense, even more so than canines. Cats can make out sounds of much higher and lower pitches than dogs can, and they can detect differences in noise, as little as one tenth of tone apart. This allows them to easily figure out the size of a prey animal or predator and the distance between it and themselves.
In addition to their strength in hearing, cats have thirty-two miniscule muscles within each ear that control rotation. This advantage helps them to identify the precise direction that a sound is coming from. Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees!
A cat’s ears also aid in keeping balance. Like human ears, cats have three semicircular canals in their ears filled with fluid and lined with tiny, fine hairs. The movement of the fluid over the hairs tells a cat’s brain of movement. They also possess vestibules that transmit information to tell what position the cat is in compared to gravitational pull. For example, this lets the cat know that if it is upside-down, on its side, etc. This function allows the cat to know when it might need to twist and avoid injury, landing on their feet.
Combined with a cat’s amazing flexibility and tail, the feline is a well-balanced animal.
While a cat’s ears are incredibly built, there are certain mutations that can hinder hearing, damage it, or even remove it entirely. For instance, there is a mutation in white cats with blue eyes that causes deafness. Other examples include Scottish Folds and American Curls, cats that visibly show signs of gene mutation in the cartilage.
In addition to their strength in hearing, cats have thirty-two miniscule muscles within each ear that control rotation. This advantage helps them to identify the precise direction that a sound is coming from. Cats can rotate their ears 180 degrees!
A cat’s ears also aid in keeping balance. Like human ears, cats have three semicircular canals in their ears filled with fluid and lined with tiny, fine hairs. The movement of the fluid over the hairs tells a cat’s brain of movement. They also possess vestibules that transmit information to tell what position the cat is in compared to gravitational pull. For example, this lets the cat know that if it is upside-down, on its side, etc. This function allows the cat to know when it might need to twist and avoid injury, landing on their feet.
Combined with a cat’s amazing flexibility and tail, the feline is a well-balanced animal.
While a cat’s ears are incredibly built, there are certain mutations that can hinder hearing, damage it, or even remove it entirely. For instance, there is a mutation in white cats with blue eyes that causes deafness. Other examples include Scottish Folds and American Curls, cats that visibly show signs of gene mutation in the cartilage.