The transverse acoustic excitation modes were detected by inelastic x–ray scattering in liquid Ga in the Q range above 9 nm‒1 although liquid Ga is mostly described by a hard–sphere liquid. An ab initio molecular dynamics simulation clearly supports this finding. From the detailed analysis for the S (Q,ω) spectra with a good statistic quality, the lifetime of 0.5 ps and the propagating length of 0.4–0.5 nm can be estimated for the transverse acoustic phonon modes, which may correspond to the lifetime and size of cages formed instantaneously in liquid Ga. The transverse excitations are also observed in liquid Fe and Cu, which again indicate the existence of small clusters. In these liquid metals, the short–living cluster may originate from icosahedra, which are characteistic of liquid transition metals.