especially head movements, as opposed to slow, deliberate movements?
2007-01-19 13:06:41 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Because they can.
Most small animals have what seem to us to be jerky movements. Because the mass of the head, etc., goes down as the cube of the size of the head while muscle strength goes down as the square (the area), a small animal with similar tissues to our can apply more velocity and change direction faster. If a horse or a tiger or one of us tried to move our head as fast as they do, we would suffer concussion or other brain damage.
It also helps the small animals, whose hearing is fixed on the head, to locate things by moving the head. Larger animals, whose heads can't move as fast, have ears that twitch and move much faster than their heads could move.
2007-01-19 13:17:05 · answer #1 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm, I have always wondered that myself. I think it is because they have sensitve hearing and they need to be able to hear for this or that bug in the tree faster. Or maybe, they just were made to twitch.
2007-01-19 21:11:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Maybe they are high energy animal's that may be there characteristic.Take a humming bird.They consume nectar.
2007-01-19 21:19:39 · answer #3 · answered by thresher 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They have high metabolisms.
2007-01-20 00:00:44 · answer #4 · answered by Scott S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋