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 ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ articles
1
Does gravity create reality? A shocking path to a theory of everything
2
The best new science-fiction books of June 2026
3
Pancreatic cancer halted by virus injection in three patients
4
How a radical new view of life could reveal its origin – and aliens
5
Photons behave very strangely if you try to cut them
6
3D-printed lymph nodes could widen access to CAR T-cell therapy
7
Glaciers in the 'roof of the world' have suddenly started melting
8
Embryos made without sperm or eggs reveal why many pregnancies fail
9
Mathematical AI helps researchers crack 50-year-old problem
10
Wealthy people with environmental ideals are the biggest emitters
