#softly-softly

i just learned that these animals:

are called “Softly-softly” in some areas of their range (Nigeria, Guinea, Kenya and Uganda). 

they’re also known as Pottos (Perodicticus potto) and while they do indeed look very soft, they actually have sharpened vertebrae on the backs of their necks.  

these ‘spines’ were originally assumed to be for defensive and aggressive purposes, but newer research suggests that they’re extremely sensitive and are used in peaceful, social behaviors (such as petting)

POTTO: a small, nocturnal lemur of tropical Africa also known as the softly-softly

As in "Softly softly catchee monkey," a proverb usually attributed to Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, who supposedly picked it up from the Ashanti people in Ghana.