Survival of the Slowest: Lessons from animals that live slowly

CBC's The Nature of Things episode 'Survival of the Slowest' profiles slow-moving animals such as sloths, tortoises and gastropods and reports that slowness supports camouflage, low metabolism and long-term survival.

CBC's The Nature of Things released an episode titled "Survival of the Slowest" that explores animals with slow life rhythms. The film visits sloths, tortoises, snails, sea horses and manatees and describes how slow pace fits their habitats. It presents slowness as helping with camouflage, low metabolism and energy conservation. The episode also contrasts cultural preferences for speed with biological adaptations toward slowness. Noted examples: - Tortoises: The episode highlights a Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan, reported as roughly 193 years old, and notes that slow metabolism, few natural predators, strong shells and unique genes are linked to long lifespan; tortoises have existed for over 200 million years. - Snails and slugs: Gastropods are reported to have persisted for at least half a billion years and are second only to insects in abundance and species diversity; they occupy habitats from rainforests and deserts to polar and deep-sea waters. - Sloths: Described as the slowest mammal, sloths host algae on their damp fur, have sluggish digestion, slow metabolism and limited eyesight, yet show strong grip strength, notable spatial memory and a keen sense of smell; the episode notes they can hang by their limbs for long periods (up to about 20 hours). - Survival functions: Across species, the program reports that slow movement supports camouflage, predator avoidance and energy savings, which contribute to long-term persistence. Summary: The episode frames slowness as an adaptive trait that supports survival and longevity in multiple species and presents several biological examples and long evolutionary histories. It contrasts those natural strategies with human cultural views that favour speed. Undetermined at this time.