Althouse: "Penguins vs. The Rope."

January 6, 2016

"Penguins vs. The Rope."

So perfectly metaphorical...

Via reddit, where the top comment is "This guy doesn't even make it across."

34 comments:

Bob Boyd said...: Penguins don't Limbo.; 1/6/16, 11:10 AM
Sydney said...: It's not nice to laugh at our lesser brethren.; 1/6/16, 11:20 AM
traditionalguy said...: In the Heart of the Sea there lie stupid mammals. Intelligent Whale worship is a stretch.; 1/6/16, 11:30 AM
Quaestor said...: Some may wonder why the penguins do not try to go under the rope. Like all birds penguins have an inflexible spinal column (the vertebrae aren't fused, but the chevrons are tightly interlocked) which improves the efficiency of the pectoral girdle muscles by allowing the pectoralis and the supercoracoideus muscles to drive the wings without wasting energy by flexing the spine. Without that adaptation birds (i.e. therapod dinosaurs) would have never gained a foothold as flying predators in competition against the highly evolved pterosaurs. Consequently penguins can't bend over.

Why they don't move down the beach where the rope is higher is difficult to explain. However, among their predators are leopard seals and killer whales which are both known to lunge across the tide line to grab penguins that are apparently safely out of the water. Perhaps that inflatable boat looks menacing.; 1/6/16, 11:40 AM
Quaestor said...: To paraphrase Bob Boyd, Penguins can't Limbo.; 1/6/16, 11:42 AM
William said...: Are seals smarter than penguins or just shorter?; 1/6/16, 11:48 AM
MathMom said...: Are seals smarter than penguins or just shorter?

Neither. This is clearly after the election, where they, like Barack Obama, are displaying more flexibility.; 1/6/16, 12:17 PM
Bob Boyd said...: @ Quaestor

Dude, that is like so Avio-normative.
The spine is a social construct. These penguins obviously identify as straight.; 1/6/16, 12:18 PM
Quaestor said...: Are seals smarter than penguins or just shorter?

Antarctic fur seals are smarter than penguins and more flexible.; 1/6/16, 12:18 PM
Unknown said...: Penguin rope-a-dope. Clumsy attempts to navigate the rope line draw sympathy from you the bystander, then when you step forward to help the little Penguin they will pounce on you and do god knows what. Seriously they can't be trusted.; 1/6/16, 12:23 PM
Sal said...: Apparently penguins don't have knees.; 1/6/16, 12:24 PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Why dinosaurs never stood a chance against mammals in the long run.; 1/6/16, 12:24 PM
Fritz said...: Quaestor said...
Some may wonder why the penguins do not try to go under the rope. Like all birds penguins have an inflexible spinal column (the vertebrae aren't fused, but the chevrons are tightly interlocked) which improves the efficiency of the pectoral girdle muscles by allowing the pectoralis and the supercoracoideus muscles to drive the wings without wasting energy by flexing the spine. Without that adaptation birds (i.e. therapod dinosaurs) would have never gained a foothold as flying predators in competition against the highly evolved pterosaurs. Consequently penguins can't bend over.

Yes, but we've all seen penguins slide on the stomach. All that penguin would have to do is lay down and push. Birds aren't really note for their brains.; 1/6/16, 12:25 PM
Bill, Republic of Texas said...: Ha! That reminds me of Obama trying to get through an open gate with an open umbrella.

I think he just stood there and cried until the SS came and rescued him.; 1/6/16, 12:52 PM
Fernandinande said...: Birdbrains.

But I bet they'd laugh at naked humans using their mouths to catch fish in freezing water. Ever hear a penguin laugh? Me neither.; 1/6/16, 1:10 PM
Quaestor said...: Yes, but we've all seen penguins slide on the stomach. All that penguin would have to do is lay down and push. Birds aren't really note for their brains.

You've seen films of them sliding on ice. These king penguins are on dry sand. Penguins are experts at being penguins.; 1/6/16, 1:54 PM
JaimeRoberto said...: Talk about punching down. Not funny.

OK, it's kind of funny.; 1/6/16, 3:00 PM
Charlie said...: Reminds me of a Hillary Clinton media event.; 1/6/16, 3:16 PM
Rusty said...: When I see something like that I immediately think of one of the usual suspects trying to talk about economics.
Funny and sad at the same time.; 1/6/16, 3:22 PM
Ann Althouse said...: They are impressively good at standing back up.; 1/6/16, 4:22 PM
YoungHegelian said...: Many animals, even higher mammals such as all cats, have eyes which are highly geared towards catching even the slightest motion in their field of vision. Indeed, they often are unable to focus on objects which don't move in their field. That's why you'll sometimes see an animal, e.g. a house cat, move his head side to side to introduce motion into the field of vision so that he can focus on a motionless object.

I wouldn't be surprised if penguin eyes have evolved to see fish at a distance in the water, which has very different optical properties than air, and so, they are too farsighted to clearly see a rope right in front of them on land. The seals probably have a wider range of vision.; 1/6/16, 4:26 PM
TrespassersW said...: It's like seeing a liberal confronted with a fact that doesn't fit with their worldview.; 1/6/16, 4:32 PM
Bob Ellison said...: Ann Althouse said, "They are impressively good at standing back up."

Yes! That could be a gym class: Just put on the penguin suit. Yes, I know it's stiff and bulky in the front, and it binds your arms so that they're only elbow-length and forces your knees to your chest. Now waddle a bit as best you can. That's it. Now everyone reach with your left flipper and knock over the person next to you. Good! Now everyone get up without assistance. This will tone your abs and butt like nothing else can!

Probably a little easier with a bird-sized head, but still.; 1/6/16, 4:44 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Hunting penguins would probably not be much of a sport.; 1/6/16, 4:50 PM
Beach Brutus said...: But Disney makes animals look so smart.; 1/6/16, 5:29 PM
tim maguire said...: Keep in mind they've never seen anything like it before. Don't underestimate how much of your understanding of the behavior of ropes is the product of experience rather than the result of personal analytical brilliance.; 1/6/16, 5:43 PM
Roughcoat said...: I love these penguins. I really do. I empathize with them. Hell, I identify with them. My life is lot like this. I love their perseverance, their determination to overcome obstacles, their can-do attitude. They remind me of Pizza Rat, who I also love. Each time they find themselves flat on their face, they pick themselves up and get. Back. In. The race ... that's life!; 1/6/16, 5:48 PM
Quaestor said...: Hunting penguins would probably not be much of a sport.

For about 15 years, between the collapse of whale populations and the development of kerosine lamp oil from coal and petroleum, when whale oil companies tried to use fats from penguins, seals, and walrus as a substitute for whale oil. Luckily for the penguins the erstwhile Ahabs did not understand their movements or migrations. They killed relatively few.; 1/6/16, 6:25 PM
David said...: SPACE ODYSSEY!

This is The Monolith for penguins and seals. We are lucky they don't have fingers and oppositional thumbs.

(Odyssey is hard to spell. My version completely stumped spell check.); 1/6/16, 7:05 PM
Phil 314 said...: Bill and Charlie's comments remind me of the latest Aaron Rodgers "Discount Double Check" commercial.

To paraphrase:

Every time you see a post on this blog you say "Obama" or "Hillary"!! Do you say anything else?"; 1/6/16, 8:16 PM
BN said...: Oh, hell. Never mind. I thought this was "penguins vs. the Pope." I thought it was gonna be nuns and a weird sex tape. Shit... how disappointing.; 1/6/16, 8:47 PM
Anonymous said...: To be fair to the penguins, I don't think they're anatomically equipped to step over the rope. I doubt that they can lift their feet more than a couple of inches. Where are their knees, anyway? In their world, they don't have to climb over things.

Of course, they should go under the rope and they don't, so yeah, that's a little dumb on their part. But they aren't as dumb as this makes them look.; 1/6/16, 9:36 PM
Unknown said...: I blame global warming; 1/7/16, 8:35 AM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: Why didn't they just fly over the rope?; 1/13/16, 10:17 AM