How to Compare a Cat & a Human Skeleton

A cat skeleton can be easily differentiated from a human skeleton because of its size and because it walks on four feet, which results in different bone shapes and different angles of bone position. Cats also hunt and eat other animals, which is why cats have claws and sharp teeth. In contrast, a human has a large brain and opposable thumbs for making and using tools.

Instructions

    • 1

      Observe the skulls of a cat and a human. A cat's skull has relatively larger eye sockets for large eyes that allow it to hunt in low light. A cat's jaws are strong and lined with sharp teeth, which are marks of a carnivore. In contrast, the dominant feature of a human skull is the braincase. Human teeth are more rectangular because humans do not eat only meat.

    • 2

      Compare the torsos of a cat and a human. A human chest is wide from side to side and compressed from front to back, while the reverse is true for a cat's chest. A human's shoulder joints are more widely separated. Shoulder blades lie along the back of a human, but along the sides of a cat. Moreover, a human's collarbone connects the shoulder and breastbone, while a cat's collarbone floats, only held in place by muscle. Because of this, a cat's shoulder is more free, allowing better mobility in the forelimbs.

    • 3

      Compare the pelvic areas of the two skeletons. Because a human walks upright and a cat walks on four feet, there are differences in the pelvic bones and tailbones. A human's pelvic bone is angled differently to that of a cat's. A human only has a vestigial tail bone, while a cat's tail ranges from short and vestigial to long.

    • 4

      Look at the limbs of a human and a cat. Because humans walk on two feet, the angles in which the limbs attach to the torso are different. Moreover, a cat's front and rear legs are about the same length so it can balance well on them, while a human's legs are longer than his arms.

    • 5

      Contrast the hands and feet of a human and a cat. Human hands and feet have five digits each and the hands have opposable thumbs. A cat has five digits on each of its front paws, and four on each of its back paws. Claws grow from the end of each last toe bone. A cat walks on the tips of its toes rather than on the entire feet like humans, so a cat's feet are curved and a human's feet are flat.