I see two problems here. Number 1 is that no squirrel ever slipped and fell off a tree. Squirrels’ understanding of gravitational physics is hard-wired and mathematically immaculate.
Number 2 is with AG’s mouse-overed comment, “Not even an insatiable thirst for knowledge can compete with our innate affinity for cute fuzzy little animals.” I agree the affinity is innate: cute fuzzy animals have always been proxies for babies, and babies are an obsession for Mother Nature. I don’t really agree with “our:” naturally the affinity is most intense in people of baby-making age. Our sweet AG, now I know how old he is; and the problem is, I don’t think Newton was ever that age.
http://abstrusegoose.com/338
Really? Small children are super into cute, furry animals. I remember my head almost exploding when I first saw my pet Norwegian dwarf rabbit Bugs. Then again, I guess little girls are into babies too, in preparation. Not real ones so much as pretend ones.
Ah, animal lookism. Our training for lookism in life. I feel a lookism post coming on.
So ok, I wasn’t thinking of small children. I was thinking of adults of baby-making age and didn’t mention that. I occasionally wonder whether editors might be useful after all.
I look forward to your lookism post.
Well, my local squirrels, although furry, certainly aren’t cute. Totally self-centred little grey psychopaths.
Einstein, though, he was pretty furry (though not fuzzy – fuzzy logic hadn’t been invented yet). And I think in some ways he was a bit childlike.
I see we are of like minds about squirrels, Tim. Your description is exact.
Also, I’m convinced the little boggers sometimes pretend to fall out, just to retain our attention. A bit like babies do, I suspect. And robins are teasers too. I think there’s more going on out there than is imagined in our philosophy.
“Number 1 is that no squirrel ever slipped and fell off a tree.”
Not true: I was once walking through some trees and a squirrel fell from a tree onto the path in front of me!
I swear it had the decency to look mildly embarrassed…
Ok, Neil. What with both you and Tim saying squirrels fall out of trees, I have to back off my categorical statement that they never do. Meaning that their little squirrel brains aren’t quite as powerful as I thought.
I too know that tree squirrels can fall out of trees, because I was hiking one day and a squirrel fell out of a tree right in front of me and broke it’s back. Quite awful.
I am not convinced they are cute either. Anyone who grabbed a wild squirrel would probably get bitten and covered with fleas. I speak from some fairly first hand experience…
Nice to see you here, Jennie. I give up absolutely: squirrels fall out of trees. And I’m sorry you had to see it happen.
I don’t know why “squirrely” doesn’t mean “evil genius” though.
Have you ever had it happen that you are driving down a road and find a squirrel crossing it? And then the squirrel decides to go back, then that it would be better to go on, no, back! no, on! and generally dithers until you’ve actually stopped the car to avoid flattening it? This is not super-genius behaviour.
Unless they know that we’ll stop the car because of fluffy animal destruction guilt, I suppose. But that can’t be a safe gamble.
Maybe those same squirrel brains that nail trajectory equations aren’t as good at calculating distance/time to edge of road vs distance/time between self and car. Or maybe, since they’re used to calculating in three dimensions, this two-dimensional stuff is so boring they don’t do it and dither instead.
Um, no pun intended.