Re: Squirell for SalethoughtsmileSeptember 26 2006, 23:24:33 UTC
I know that! Gosh, it's like you think I don't know my favorite animal or something! They glide, actually. I once read that their tails are the rudders, so to speak, propeling them forward, and they use the flaps on their sides to glide through the air. So awesome!!
Re: Squirell for Salejwh2oSeptember 27 2006, 02:22:40 UTC
What amazes me is that you can spell squirrel (which obviously I can't), not because you are a bad speller but because it should be on a spelling bee. I never thought about it before but they are kind of cool. Is that one you use as a "userpic" nocturnal?
ps., Here is a quote from Dawkins' new (2006) book The God Delusion which partially partains:
"Half a wing is indeed not as good as a whole wing, but it is certainly better than no wing at all. Half a wing could save your life by easing your fall from a tree of a certain height. And 51 per cent of a wing could save you if you fall from a slightly taller tree. Whatever fraction of a wing you have, there is a fall from which it will save your life where a slightly smaller wing would not. The thought experiment of trees of different height, from which one might fall, is just one way to see, in theory, that there must be as smooth gradient of advantage all the way from 1 per cent of a wing to 100 per cent. The forests are replete with gliding or parachuting animals illustrating
( ... )
Re: Squirell for SalethoughtsmileSeptember 29 2006, 20:29:24 UTC
The first part of that quote is pretty bizarre. I mean, it's true but seems (for the most part) irrelevant. I.e., how many 51% winged creatures are even out there??
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I don't think they really fly, more like sail through the air. Kind of like kites with legs and a head. ps. you should see one in a wind storm.
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What amazes me is that you can spell squirrel (which obviously I can't), not because you are a bad speller but because it should be on a spelling bee. I never thought about it before but they are kind of cool. Is that one you use as a "userpic" nocturnal?
ps., Here is a quote from Dawkins' new (2006) book The God Delusion which partially partains:
"Half a wing is indeed not as good as a whole wing, but it is certainly better than no wing at all. Half a wing could save your life by easing your fall from a tree of a certain height. And 51 per cent of a wing could save you if you fall from a slightly taller tree. Whatever fraction of a wing you have, there is a fall from which it will save your life where a slightly smaller wing would not. The thought experiment of trees of different height, from which one might fall, is just one way to see, in theory, that there must be as smooth gradient of advantage all the way from 1 per cent of a wing to 100 per cent. The forests are replete with gliding or parachuting animals illustrating ( ... )
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