Rumor has it that a few years back, unscrupulous tour guides in Central America planted a fake quetzal (a gorgeous, exotic bird) on a tree branch in a fenced-in area of the rainforest. If a tour did not result in the spotting of any interesting animals, guides would take the tourists to see the quetzal, which was just far enough away to be mistaken for a real bird.
Well, the tourists eventually started climbing the fence for a closer look, and ultimately realized the bird was a fake. However, I am always left to wonder: when a tour guide points out an animal nestled far in the trees, is it real? Our tour guide last night said that the sloth had been in the same spot for three days and the vipers had been there for twelve, and that this was perfectly natural because both species are inherently sedentary. But could the explanation also be that it is perfectly natural because rubber animals don´t move?