#32: Sounds Squirrely
Have you ever watched a squirrel scamper about on narrow, weak branches high in the air or seen them make impressive flying leaps from one tree to another, and thought to yourself, “It’s a good thing I’m not a squirrel, or I’d be constantly hyperventilating from my fear of heights”? Well, it turns out that squirrels don’t have much to be scared of.
They are so light compared to their surface area that they don’t have a very high terminal velocity—that is, they never really fall fast enough to do a lot of damage when they hit the ground. So, if you were a squirrel, you would have absolutely no reason to be scared of heights because falling wouldn’t hurt you. That kind of makes me want to be a squirrel. Except I don’t want to live in a tree or be constantly harassed by dogs. Never mind, I’m happy being a human.