Right now it’s late evening, but despite that, as always in Singapore, it is hot. Though it’s started to finally cool off a bit, cooling off only means it’s now 85 and humid instead of 95 and humid. I’ve gotten adjusted to it now, but it’s made me think of the way natural life has adapted just to fit this niche. For example, the insects that are here are huge. Beetles, moths, and even spiders are way bigger than in colder climates, with an Atlas moth I saw the other day being definitely bigger than my hand. That’s because since they are cold blooded, the combination of Singapore’s lack of winter and constant abundant nutrients are a perfect place for them to thrive. The same is true of many other way cuter cold blooded creatures like lizards. They don’t grow as big, but I’ve definitely noticed them to be more numerous than in most other places I’ve been.

Still adaptation for any creature – human or otherwise – is a continuous process. For animals it tends to be purely physical but it can even affect their social relationships or food finding behaviors. For us, it’s a little more complicated, we can adapt our mindsets, ways of cultural expression, or ways we express ourselves among other things. It’s something I’ve found myself thinking about a lot since I’ve come here, especially in relation to culture, so it’s interesting to think about it as a parallel with the natural world doing the same thing.