Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!pyrdc!pyrnj!rutgers!sunybcs!boulder!pell
From: pell@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Anthony Pelletier)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Squirrel Questions (really cats)
Keywords: drag terminal velocity
Message-ID: <3768@boulder.Colorado.EDU>
Date: 29 Sep 88 17:35:31 GMT
References: <22811@mordor.s1.gov> <14804@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <3519@phri.UUCP>
Sender: news@boulder.Colorado.EDU
Reply-To: pell@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Anthony Pelletier)
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Lines: 32

In article <3519@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes:
>
>	There was a study that I saw not too long ago that dealt with the
>mortality rate of cats falling over various distances.  It showed a
>distince maximum at (if I remember correctly) about 5 storys, after which
>the rate actually went down significantly (i.e. a cat is more likely to
>survive a 20-story drop than a 5-story drop).  Unfortunately, I cannot
>remember where I saw this.  Presumably the study was based on statistical

>Roy Smith, System Administrator

I saw this article also, thought my recolection of it is a bit different.
I seem to recall 3 stories as the magic height.  I believe it was in
one of the "thin journals," which, for me, means Science or Nature.  But,
it is equally likely that I picked up Discover in the Reference room
here while trying to avoid working.  The vet who had done the compilation
of injuries to cats falling out of high appt. buildings postulated
that, for the initial part of the fall, the cat treats it like a normal
jump, that is, arches its back and stretches its legs towards the ground.
He encountered alot of broken legs in this group of a type expected for
landing this way.  He further postulated that in longer falls, the animal
flattens itself out and stretches its legs out parallel to the ground,
this increases drag and actually slows the animal down so that, if it falls
a few stories farther, it is going slower than if it only fell 3 stories.
Again, the injuries (mostly bruises on the underside) were consistent
with this.  
This is not a control study of course.  One whould expect the animal
rights groups to frown on people tossing kitties out of sky-scrapers.
But, if a cat can withstand this type of fall, six feet should be 
peanuts to a squirrel.

-tony