If you look closely at the head of a cat, you will see that there two areas in front of the ears where there are outer hairs but not the inner fluffy hair that keeps the cat warm; you can easily see the skin.
Does anyone know what this is all about? Does it in some way help hearing by reducing sound absorption?
It must be important because (in humans at least) a lot of heat is lost from the head in cold conditions and thermal insulation is usually a good idea.
I don’t know, but I’ve always wondered that.
I don’t know of any source to confirm it, but I always assumed the slightly bald patch was there to improve directional hearing, something like the shape of owl auricular feathers.
Why are you assuming it serves any purpose whatsoever? Some cat in the distant past had this mutation along with a genuinely useful mutation, and they both got passed on together.
Let’s just say that if I were in a position to test it, I would start with the hypothesis that it serves a useful purpose. In the meantime, it seems remarkable that just that spot is bald, and no other, when the absence of fur in that spot seems so likely to help the cat’s hearing.
I admit that it’s only a remarkable coincidence until someone actually glues hair in front of a few cats’ ears and compares their hearing to some unaltered cats.
Not all cats have it. I’ve probably seen several hundred cats, and while it is a fairly common feature, it’s not universal.
Anecdote x 2 does not = Data
Cats have scent glands on their temples (and in several other places, including their paws and the corners of their mouths). I don’t have any proof of it, but I suspect the thin patches of hair correspond to the scent glands - that the thin hair makes it easier for the cat to leave a scent on something by rubbing against it.
Do cats have scent glands on their temples? That’s a new one on me. They certainly have them on the corners of their mouths- that’s the part they like to wipe on the furniture.
I think mwbrooks has it right; the area is fluff-free so sounds will bounce off it and into the ear. (pause to check cats) The area lines up exactly with the ear, and I imagine it improves sound collection in the forward direction- just the job for hunting small rodents in the dark.
I’m typing this with Marius (our new cat on the block) on my lap.
They do - temples ( temporal gland ), chins ( submandibular or submental gland ), corners of the mouth ( perioral gland ), between the toes ( interdigital glands ) and the top of the base of the tail, extending a bit up the tail ( caudal gland ). I see no reason why the temporal gland should account for that less furred region, though. None of the other sebaceous glands are similarly de-furred.
I suspect something acoustical as well, but truly have no idea.