• Boomer Humor Doomergod@lemmy.world
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    2 hours ago

    Maybe read the whole thing.

    Zoologist Herbers, who readily acknowledges that such discoveries lead to questions “so much more sophisticated than they were ten years ago,” still maintains that animals like to loaf. “Sure, there are good excuses for lounging around at a certain time and place-like the lions in the shade at the waterhole, where they can keep cool and jump a warthog at the same time,” she says. “But make no mistake; some of these animals are relaxing. They’re there because they would prefer to lie around in the shade on a hot day than to work for a living.” She is particularly intrigued by rest as a reward for efficiency. “A quick kill,” she says, “equals a nice long nap.”

    And among those most studied of animals, the social insects, division of labor determines whether they’re on active duty or just standing by. Doctoral candidate Susanne Kuhnholz of Cornell University is almost certain that some bees, for instance, are designated water carriers whose job is to cool or heat the hive and brood as need dictates.

    “Most of the time it looks like they’re just hanging around the hive,” she says. “But if it gets too hot, they become very busy, distributing water. And if it gets too cold, they uncouple their wings from their flight muscles and shiver to generate metabolic heat.”

    Or read this lovely article about lazy ants

    Or find something that shows animals desire clocks and pants and constant motion.

    • merc@sh.itjust.works
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      2 hours ago

      Animals don’t want pants. Humans want pants and netflix and adult colouring books. If humans were willing to spend 8 hours a day, every day, lounging on a rock instead, then they could get by with doing a lot less work for money.