Research library

🧬 The Felid Wiki — 3,000 research summaries

Physiology & Anatomy

AI-curated summaries for the pride’s library — verify citations independently before citing.

SpeciesAll species felids110 domestic cat55 cheetah19 Smilodon12 lion11 tiger7 sand cat6 snow leopard4 Homotherium3 jaguar2 leopard2 margay2 fishing cat1 lynx1 Thylacosmilus1

2 summaries in Physiology & Anatomy on margay

Research overview: arboreal locomotion and climbing biomechanics in cats
Overview
Many cats climb readily, and some are highly arboreal. This overview surveys the biomechanics of climbing: the use of sharp recurved claws for grip, limb and joint mobility for negotiating branches, b…
Research overview: head-first descent and hindfoot rotation in the margay
Overview
The margay, a small Neotropical cat, can descend trees head-first, a rare ability among cats enabled by unusually mobile ankle joints that rotate the hindfeet outward to grip behind the animal. This o…