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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Sloths

The inexplicable position
I've always found sloths quite intriguing. Yes, my laziness has played a significant part towards my bias, but there's something else to it as well. Sloths mostly eat leaves and tender shoots, and hence you almost always find them on trees. That's fine.

But why do they cling on to the trees this way? Why would anyone cling on to the branch in such a way that if somehow a few fingers give way, they'd fall with a crash? Has it never occurred to them that staying above the branch is a lot easier? Would it not make sense to remain that way? Does this pose seem easy at all? I mean, why don't they just have a look at the rest of the animal kingdom and try to be on all fours like the others?

The (artificially created) Utopian position
What stops them, I wonder. Are they so kind to the tree that they're even willing to risk falling down at a moment's lapse, to avoid exerting pressure of any kind on the branches? Or are they foolish, as plain and simple as that?

I wish they were smart enough to get the picture rotated by 180 degrees. Or ruthless enough, maybe.

8 comments:

  1. Sloths were the laziest among all the animals. The Lion king was angry with the sloths and ordered them to develop their biceps. All the sloths were kind of pissed by the order but they had to do that anyway. Elephant suggested them to cling on the branches as shown in the picture ( actually it was the elephant's dream that never came true). Sloths started the exercise by then and never felt like getting back to normal life.

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  2. How cute are they! I love their clinginess, like I love the Orang-utan's massive hug. So comforting! Please let them be. :)

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  3. The physics is all messed up. "exert pressure on the branch"?? Regardless of whether the sloth clings or sits it's weight will be borne by the tree. Assuming it hasn't eaten a few more leaves while changing position. Then onto pressure which has the added variable of surface area. And remember pressure and surface area vary inversely. In our current construct, actually the sloth prefers the upside down position because it cares little for the trees well being. Had it wanted to reduce pressure (holding weight constant) it would have applied it's whole tummy not just it's fingertips.

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  4. God, i wonder what else u gonna find intriguing!
    btw, d pic is so good. see, it's smiling!

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  5. They're named after one of the cardinal sins of christianity.This they consider a shame to their community and hang this way to protest.
    what 'bout lack of dental care by lazy crocodiles who have birds floss their teeth instead?

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    Replies
    1. There is a purpose for the crocodiles to let the birds floss their teeth!

      And I guess the sloths should protest against the Christians.

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