1. Are there any external resources that can be used by the mechanism?
Answer: No
2. Are physical changes possible to the mechanism?
Answer: Yes
3. Can other parts of the mechanism be used to minimize the effects of the fault?
Answer: No
2) Cutting off a tail and learning to balance without it
Animals use their tail not only for signaling their emotions but also for balance. In a study cats were trained to walk across a narrow beam and while they were walking across it the beam would shift laterally suddenly. When the beam moved the cats tail moved in the opposite direction, which allowed the hips to adjust and realign themselves over the beam causing the cat not to fall (Walker et al.). When they severed the sacrocaudal spinal cord the cat was not able to move its tail (Walker et al.). This in turn caused the cat to fall more times when trying to cross the beam and it shifted suddenly. So over time the cat had
to strengthen up its core and other muscles to compensate for the lack of control that was lost from the tail being rendered useless. The same idea can be related to an animal that had its tail cut off because it too would have to learn to balance again.
Walker, C., C. J. Vierck, and L. A. Ritz. “Balance in the Cat: Role of the Tail and Effects of Sacrocaudal Transection.” Behavioral Brain Research 91.1-2 (1998): 41-47. NCBI. Web. 8 Jan. 2015.
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