Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

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Ever notice mammals never seem to come in green? (lemmy.ca)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

61 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects? Sure. But no mammals.

So I had to google it. Apparently, there is a sloth that moves around so slowly moss grows all over it and it doesn't care. So it may appear green, but only in the sense that it wears it.

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 7 months ago (4 children)

You’d think evolutionary, there would be at least some green mammals to help them blend into the plant life around them. Like bunnies hiding in bushes, or monkeys in trees. I suppose shades of brown work similarly in the same situations.

I know some predators don’t see color the same way humans do — could the lack of green and dominance of brown have something to do with seeing motion, or heat, or something else we don’t see?

[–] [email protected] 52 points 7 months ago (1 children)

iirc, the reason tigers are black and orange stripey is because deers and whatever else they eat don't see orange, they see green. This blends the tiger in with the surroundings better.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 7 months ago

That's why hunters' jackets are bright orange. Hides them from game (whilst simultaneously making them visible to other people)

[–] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago

Right? I guess that's what puzzles me the most about it. It must be really hard for mammals to become green since you would think it would confer an advantage in many environments you find them in.

I guess there are a lot of mammal species that kind of make themselves scarce during the broad daylight hours, so maybe green camouflage is less relevant if you're only out between dusk and dawn?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago

This is just a guess, but could it be that brown is more useful since mammals (at least the first ones) dwell on and in the ground, where brown would be more beneficial for survival?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

At least humans have the highest sensitivity specifically around 555 nm (green).