I saw a possum in Toronto yesterday! This is the best picture of the three I took. Didn't want to scare it with the flash. https://glitch.social/media/UXJhsvk24-tYzj00IMY
(Was tempted to tag this "selfie.")
Opposum reproductive biology facts: "the female only has 13 teats, arranged in a circle with one in the center"
Opposums have lifespans of only two years. It is believed that's because they're so vulnerable to predators that they wouldn't live long anyway, so they've evolved no to devote any resources to biochemical best practices that would lengthen their lives.
They're just a bunch of genetic hacks that get the job done efficiently but crash after they run too long.
Supporting this hypothesis, researchers studied a population of opposums that had been isolated from an island free of predators for thousands of years, and found that their natural lifespans were 50% longer than mainland opposums, even in captivity (ie when animals from each population were free from predators and most stress).
Isolated *on* an island
@cute_weeds I have been personally isolated from an island for decades
@green I am often not on a boat.
@cute_weeds I've been frequently not on boats in my life...
@green *coaxing green out from under the desk* I mean that seems a little harsh...
On the upside, like any other work with an acronym like that, R&GaD must have a Wikia somewhere, and I will not rest until I find it.
@cute_weeds *wedging further under desk* "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead", and I'm a giant green goofball
@green Aw, :goofballpats:
@cute_weeds my hindbrain seems somehow convinced that being able to accurately quote R&GaD is a survival skill on par with CPR and the ability to properly (and improperly) use a crowbar
@green It's a very good play, but I'm not sure I'd put it that close to the base of the hierarchy of needs.
@cute_weeds y'know how some nerds seem to reel off quotes from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" given the slightest semi-provocation? I used to hang with a social group that did the same with "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern," and despite having watched the movie at least a dozen times I never could keep up. SOCIAL FAILURE MODE ENGAGED
@cute_weeds *utterly fumbles R&GaD quote attempt, hides under desk in humiliation*