New research has changed the way we think about how cats drink. Using new high speed camera technology, the research revealed that cats use only the tip of their tongue to drink. It also showed that cats use a gecko–like process to lick up their milk. The video showed the cat used the tip of their tongue to create suction. The cat then retracts it’s tongue quickly off the surface of the milk. This action draws the milk up in a column that the tongue then quickly catches.
The way a cat drinks is a natural example of inertia and gravity in action. The tongue’s shape creates an air pocket. The air pocket applies pressure to the milk’s surface. By withdrawing the tongue quickly, the pressure on the milk’s surface is rapidly reduced. The sudden reversal of pressure sends the milk up in a cylinder. Inertia has been applied to the milk. The cylinder of milk is only there for a moment before gravity surpasses the inertia. The cat then swings its tongue through the milk cylinder and into its mouth.
No comments:
Post a Comment