Preview

Comparison between cat and human skeleton

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
660 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparison between cat and human skeleton
Cats vs. Humans

At first glance, it might look as if there are very few similarities between a human skeleton and a cat skeleton, However, when you look a little deeper, you find many similarities in shape, structure and function.
Evolution has shaped the cat as a hunter and predator. Everything about a cat has been formed to shape a leathal, agile fighting animal. In contrast, the skeletons of humans have formed to provide strength and stability. There are many similarities between the modern-day cats and humans. Like nearly every land mammal, both cats and humans have a well-formed skull and jaw, a vertebral column and four appendages.
The most obvious difference between a cat and human skeleton is the size. At nearly 20 times the size of the average domestic cat, a human is a lot larger and way more powerful. Humans are built to walk on two legs. Therefore, their hips and backbone are shaped much differently and are much more solid than those of the four legged feline.
Although humans are much larger, a cat has roughly 250 bones in its skeleton, compared to the 206 bones of the human skeleton. The extra bones in the cat's skeleton are found mainly in the backbone, which gives the cat its extra flexibility and agility. A cat has 52 or 53 vertebrae; humans have 32 to 34. These extra bones are spaced out and have more padding, giving the cat flexibility and the ability to twist, turn and spring. Humans have collarbones, while cats do not. However, cats do have a free-floating set of bones in their shoulders that allow them to squeeze into tight spaces.

In both cats and humans, the skeleton provides the same basic set of functions. Because of the density and hardness of bone, the skeleton provides the rigid framework to which other body systems attach. The skeleton determines the basic shape of a body. The skeleton also serves as protection for vital organs, such as the brain, heart and lungs. Because of the structure of the skeleton, it is the basis

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The skeleton is basically the structure of the body and keeps your internal organs in place.…

    • 162 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Charles Darwin’s theory explained these similarities that were observed by Owen by explaining that they shared a common ancestor. 3. What did further examination of Tiktaalik’s fins reveal about the creature and its’ lifestyle? Further examination of Tiktaalik’s fin revealed the creature had wrists and elbow, similar to humans.…

    • 2068 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In other words, the cat would have little to no time to rotate its body so that it can land on its feet and evenly distribute the impact force among its four paws, resulting in lesser injury. Also, in the article Why Cats Have Nine Lives, the author Jared Diamond mentions, “Cats’ lower ratio of mass to area also means that they reach a terminal velocity of a mere 60 mph within five stories of a free fall, compared with our terminal velocity of 120 mph”. In addition, having a relatively small body mass distributed over a wider area means that the body can attain a lower terminal velocity, and that terminal velocity can be reached in a quicker amount of time to where the body is not gaining speed for the rest of the fall, giving the organism more stability to reposition itself. Also, the data given by Diamond corresponds to the data given in the table, considering that if a cat were to fall from a building that is from one to five stories tall, it would take the whole falling time to reach terminal velocity, making it harder for the cat to stabilize and resulting in further…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Throughout the Human Body Systems course, you will explore the many functions of the skeletal system. Bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons are all types of connective tissue that support your frame. The human skeleton is a wonder of design and engineering. It is incredibly strong and affords us great protection, but it is also incredibly light, giving us a great range of mobility. As you go on to explore the human body, knowledge of bone names will help you navigate the world of muscles and joints as well as other body systems.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    4. The forelimbs of a human, bird, bat, and dolphin have a very similar arrangement of bones and muscles, yet different functions. According to modern evolutionary theory, this is an example of:…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    BIO 211 Lab Report

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The differences I noticed in the Endocrine systems of the cat versus the human were obviously the size of our organs versus the cat, but also the location of different glands, such as the pancreas and the thymus. The thymus in the human is located inferior to the larynx in the neck and as a cat grows older the thymus almost disappears completely.…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The axial skeleton consist of 80 bones and is composed of eight parts. The skull bones, the ossicles of the middle ear, the hyoid bone, the rib cage, sternum and the vertebral column.…

    • 1279 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Anatomy: The chimpanzees and humans facial structure are very similar. The internal anatomy is almost the same between chimps and humans. The circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems are nearly identical.…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Order Primate Analysis

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Many processes have taken place to shape humans from the Australopithecus Afarensis to the modern day human also known as the Homo Sapien. As a result, the two defining traits that occurred by taxonomy are the effects of brain size and bipedalism. Humans, like other primates are considered as Order Primates in the Hominidae family and therefore are a prime example of taxonomy when the two diverged into different species. During taxonomy when humans diverged from their ancestors 6 to 7 million years ago, the result is the differences such as walking upright, brain size and overall skeletal structure are prominent due to the divergence of humans and other primates. Although primates and humans both share many anatomical, behavioral and socialization traits the differences are drastic and are all a result of selective pressures.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many fossils have been found traits of both humans and apes; also comparisons of modern humans and apes support this theory.…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the similarities was their exhibit. They both lived in a place that had grass, water, rocks, and even a wooden display or platform for them to move around. They also had trees for provide shade. I learned that both Gibbon and Lemurs have females as their dominate figure who runs the territory. One of the difference that I noticed was how they communicate. The Gibbons used sound while the Lemurs used their tails. Also the Gibbons had more open space to move around then the Lemurs. The Gibbons were also more active by swinging around than the Lemurs who were just sitting around and eating. Though, these two animal are very different in appearance and body structure, they both are Primates. They are an example that we all are different and that we can live together but we have to make sure that we are not doing something that would hurt someone else. We all come from different places and are different, so in order to be successful in our future, we have to be able to learn to change and adapt to our…

    • 1802 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the ways that a human primate is considered typical is due to the fact that all primates share a few physical and behavioral characteristics. For example, compared to other mammals, human DNA is closer to that of a lemur, monkey, or ape (Smithsonian.com, 2012). When looking at the physical characteristics, both the eyes of a human and a primate are forward facing and sit close together which is beneficial in depth perception (Smithsonian.com, 2012). Other mammals such as a cow or a giraffe have widely spaced eyes which hinders their perception of depth (Smithsonian.com, 2012). Humans and primates also share a great ability in dexterity.…

    • 1302 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There's a reason cats aren't called man's best friend – and it's all in their genes, according to a new study. Cats are simply not as domesticated as dogs despite sharing households with humans for at least 9,000 years, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine have found. The reason is because they have been able to retain their hunting skills and ability to see well during the night-time. Cats were first domesticated in the Near East about 10,000 years ago. The modern domestic cat is descended from a wild ancestor called Felis silvestris lybica. All 600 million house cats in the world have been traced back to five females of this species. They lived in the forests before they moved into villages. Ancient Egyptians worshipped…

    • 1444 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Cats vs Dogs

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Another difference is space. Cats don’t take up nearly as much space as dogs. They also don’t need a yard to run around in, and they are pretty self sufficient. You can find plenty of cat climbing trees at your local pet store to keep your cat amused. Dogs on the other hand make a lot of noise barking, and enjoy running around in an open space playing fetch.…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Himalayans Cat

    • 1350 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The domestic cats are apart of that lineage known as the Felis genius, which makes them in direct relation to the cougar, lion, and tigers with the exception of the obvious differences of size and domestication (Wikipedia, 2012).…

    • 1350 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays