Why Do Sloths Poop On the Ground?
One day you may discover the secret of my poops.
Just send a new manuscript off to my agent–fingers crossed that we’ll find a publisher. The working title is SCAT! Fascinating Facts About What Animals Leave Behind. Because who doesn’t love a good poop book?
(My teenaged daughter, that’s who. She’s the one who has had to listen to me chat about my topics of research over the dinner table for the last few months.)
I thought I’d share my favorite fascinating fact: sloths poop on the ground. It is literally the only time they climb down out of their trees, and it’s a fraught and perilous journey. They are in danger the whole time, vulnerable to predators that they can’t run away from. Luckily they only defecate about once a week. (Their digestive system is as slow as the rest of them.) But why would they do it this way in the first place?
NO ONE KNOWS. It is one of the great mysteries of biology.
There are theories. It sends a signal about readiness to mate! It fertilizes the tree upon which the sloth depends for food and shelter! And my favorite–it allows the moths which nest in the sloth’s fur a chance to lay their eggs in the poop! But no one is really sure.
I love that there are mysteries left in the world.
Read MoreBooklist Review for Save the Elephants!
Thankful this week for a lovely review of Save the Elephants! from Booklist.
Read MoreReaders will come away with a sense of awe about these unique and majestic animals, and they are encouraged to perform everyday acts that help ensure elephants do not go extinct. A worthwhile addition to conservation collections and the animal shelves.
Happy Elephant Day!
Save the…Elephants! is on the shelves today!
May it inspire young conservationists and activists everywhere. And always remember my favorite elephant fact, destined to enchant seven-year-olds everywhere: Elephant calves eat the grownups’ poop.
Read MoreCensorship
Thank you, Bonny Eagle School Board, for taking a stand against censorship and making sure kids will still be able to check out It’s Perfectly Normal!
A few takeaways in case you do not get a chance to read the whole article:
It’s Perfectly Normal is one of the most straightforward, nonjudgmental, accessible books about puberty and sexuality out there. It’s constantly praised and recommended for this age group.
It’s Perfectly Normal was not required reading or assigned in any class. It was just there, on the library shelf.
There was already a mechanism in place where parents could request that their kids be prevented from checking this book out. (I don’t like that, but it was there.) That didn’t satisfy this particular group of parents. They wanted to be sure that no kid could read this book. And while we’re on this topic, why does parental control only ever go one way? As a parent as well as an author, what if I want this kind of book available to my child? Do I not have any rights in that regard?
And finally, It’s Perfectly Normal for kids who are going through adolescence to want to read about adolescence, and it’s admirable for them to reach out and learn more about what’s happening to them. We should support that, not try to shut it down!
(And one extra point–I now really want to read Genderqueer, also under threat of censorship. Censors, take note–we most want to read what you try to take away.)
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Sarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Readers will treasure the blossoming friendship between opposites in this whimsically illustrated tale. Short chapters and plenty of action make for an accessible and appealing reading experience. . . . Touching and inspiring.”
—Kirkus Reviews