Social media has got a lot of spoiled press lately . Sure , it’sisolating us from societyand facilitatingthe cost increase of psychopathological AI , but hey – it by all odds has some redeeming qualities too . It can helpsolve murders . It can learn ushow to care for a friendin their time of want . And , so , so often , it can provide us withtop - qualityfuzzyanimalcontent .
The latest critter to go viral comes to us from the Inokashira Park Zoo , Tokyo . She ’s a squirrel , and it ’s middling easy to see why she ’s so popular .
Hubba hubba .
Yes , it seems even rodent ca n’t escapebeing objectified in 2018 . aboveboard , hoi polloi . Show this hardworking lady some esteem .
So what ’s behind this dry pint - sized pin - up ’s unexpected physique ?
Squirrels , being mammals , do of line suckle their young . Does the photo show a mama squirrel on her way of life to nurse her pups ?
It ’s a nice conjecture , but squirrel scientists have rule it out . Squirrels , it turn out , have a stunningly bizarre physiological response to breastfeeding their youthful : their tit grow longer and turn a loss all their fence pelt .
“ Most of us are so trained that we can see prominent nipple [ of lactating female ] with the defenseless eye when a squirrel is about 30 to 40 feet [ 9 - 12 time ] into a tree , ” squirrelologist Ben Dantzer explained toNational Geographic .
In fact , the picture does n’t show breasts at all .
See , unlike us pitiful humans ( and horses , elephants , and guinea pigs , among others ) , squirrels have far more than two nipples , with some coinage racking up an intimidate 10 teats . And what ’s more , this formidable nipple collection is n’t centre on the pectoral muscularity like ours are – they launch the full distance of their little squirrel chest .
In short : these are n’t boobs we ’re looking at . So what are they ?
According to Dantzer , this piano - core Sciurid is just , well , chubby .
“ I suspect that this squirrel , just by looking at the picture , probably lives around humans and eats a lot of garbage and fatty foods , ” he explained .
That may well be a honorable guess . This is n’t exactly a wild squirrel : Inokashira Park Zoo has a “ squirrel garden ” , where visitant can get up tight to themischievous rodentsand , yes , feed them . In fact , squirrel are the zoo ’s mascot .
This stacked lady is not the only one to be piling on the pounds of late . squirrel across Europe and North America gotamazingly tubbythanks to a late affectionate wintertime – and , of course , it was only this calendar month that we fete the majesticFat Bears of Katmai Park .
