Usually my Easy Sunday posts show something pleasant and un-serious.
It isn't all politics, money, and conflict.
Below is a brief video of a young South American sloth being re-united with its mother. Sloths look like primates--monkeys or apes--but they aren't cousins at all. They are closely related to armadillos and anteaters, which look nothing like sloths. The sloth branch of that family evolved to live in trees and therefore got the attributes of tree dwellers: Long arms and legs, eyes in front, grasping hands. There is a message in that parallel development. We look like we do because that appears to be the best way to survive living in and around trees.
I saw this sloth up close in Brazil. The boy showed off his pet to me. It moved in slow motion, about 1/4 time. It slowly turned its head toward me to check me out. I imagined it to be utterly serene. And sleepy. They go in and out of naps, sleeping about 15 hours a day. It reminded me of a cuddly ET, from the 1982 movie.
Here is the 37 second video.
Here is the 37 second video.
Tomorrow it is back to the usual storm and strife. I will publish a graph comparing the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank overlayed against a graph of what happened following the Lehman Brothers failure. It is history, not fate or a prediction. But still.
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5 comments:
Long arms and legs, eyes in front, grasping hands. There is a message in that parallel development. We look like we do because that appears to be the best way to survive living in and around trees.
It’s called “evolutionary convergence”. It also happens sometimes in politics, where different ideologies can find themselves up the same tree. 😀
I love three toed sloths, be ultimate energy conservationists. And so sweet and innocent. One went eye to eye with me, our faces six inches apart, both our eyes 72”off the ground. Pure white fur, bluish eyes. But his face was upside down, mine right side up. Cahuita, Costa Rica. Lots of the little crit’s, Ifyou knew how to spot them.
My anthropology prof said humans evolved to have long arms and legs, and to walk erectly, in order to be able to see over grass and brush, in order to spot prey, to avoid predators, and to be able to throw things. Ever heard the term “male answer syndrome”?
Lots of experts make bodacious claims, based on whatever evidence they may have, but generally not recognizing their facts may not be facts. Interesting to observe.
So your anthro prof was wrong?
Michael T, yes, my anthro prof was wrong. Or Peter's wrong. Or both. I’ve learned so many facts that are, at best, debatable. I suspect you have, too; .
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