Today I want to introduce you to a fascinating new discovery from my research in the field of Philadelphia.
This is the Philadelphius Dude-icus, more commonly known as the Philly Dude.
Philly Dudes are small, but plentiful creatures, not dissimilar from a common city pigeon or mouse. Their population size is about 1:1 with the population of human residents of Philadelphia - with whom they share many characteristics.
Like most urban life, the Philly Dude has made special adaptations to better suit him to his surroundings - springy bones to navigate Philadelphia’s bumpy, poorly maintained terrain, high-pitched radar communication to subvert the sounds of traffic, and special eyes to quickly register all of the city’s human activity.
The Philly Dude is a naturally social creature, and takes many of his behavioral cues directly from the humans in his environment.
Sadly, this means that many of the same problems plaguing Philadelphia’s human residents have an exaggerated harmful effect on the Philly Dude. Because he is so teeny.
Of particular concern is the Philly Dude’s recent tendency towards antisocial behavior. He is most happy and healthy when he interacts with other Philly Dudes. In fact, this antisocial ailment has gotten so bad, that the Philly Dude is in serious danger of extinction.
Fortunately, as we did with the problems, we can also look to Philly’s human counterparts to begin understanding solutions.
Often, at the root of these harmful behaviors is the human routine. On a typical day, humans are more likely to stick to what’s familiar and comfortable, but that also makes things kind of boring.
However, when something novel is introduced, there is potential for a new experience - whether it’s positive or negative.
In the case of a positive novel experience, humans tend towards wanting to share it, which in turn attracts other humans, leading to more positive interactions. Once humans begin behaving in this way, Philly Dudes will follow suit, and embrace their natural social inclinations.
So if we take a look at what humans like, what Philly Dudes like, what Philadelphia has to offer, and the additional factor of novelty...the intersection of all those factors is an opportunity to save this wonderful species.
