"Slow Down"

 When I was at the Zoo recently I happened to stumble upon a demonstration and talk by one of the Keepers. It involved the two-toed sloth. Sometimes you just have to Slow Down and smell the sloth. Here are some of the pictures I took. I wished I remembered the Keeper's name and also the sloth.

The keeper says that sloths spend most of their time hanging upside down. She went back to get the sloth to come forward where it would be in front of the guests gathered for the short talk. The little box in the back left is where I usually see this particular sloth. Usually napping. Food is always an incentive to get me off the sofa.

We think of sloths being slow, and they are, but they also are a little quicker than you might think.

The keeper kept dangling treats and the sloth kept crawling.

Finally it passed into the front where a table was set up. I like the eyes. You can see the stick of celery the keeper is using as a treat.

Finally the sloth reaches the treat...

And chomps down. I assume their digestive system is adapted to eat upside down. You can see the table is full of assorted vegetables.

I moved to a different angle to get the full-sloth shot.

As the keeper talked, she let the sloth choose the food from the table...

She was explaining how the far on the sloth's front side grows the same as the fur on other animals backs. This allows rain to drip off easier on the upside down animal. The hair part is on the belly and not the back. The sloth was anxious to grab the next treat.

It got a carrot which it seemed to enjoy. I did not stay for the Q&A.

I am not sure how many sloths the Zoo currently has, but I know it is at least three and probably more.

And that ends my science lesson for the day...

About Title

When I first saw this Beatle title, I did not recognize it. I did some Google searches and found a few videos. After watching, I kind of remember it...

"Slow Down" is a rock and roll song written and performed by Larry Williams. Recorded in 1957, AllMusic writer Stewart Mason describes it as "raucous enough to be punk rock nearly a full two decades before the concept was even in existence." Specialty Records released it as a single in 1958, but only the second-side "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" reached the record charts. Both songs were later covered by the Beatles.

On June 1, 1964, the Beatles recorded most of their version of "Slow Down" at EMI Studio 2 in London. Producer George Martin added piano overdubs three days later. Parlophone released the song on the Long Tall Sally EP in June in the UK. In July, the song was included on the American album Something New. Capitol Records also released it as a single, with "Matchbox" (also from the Long Tall Sally EP) as the A-side, on August 24, 1964.

"Slow Down" reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song is also included on the 1988 Past Masters compilation. A performance specifically recorded for broadcast by the BBC is found on the album Live at the BBC (1994).