Like generations of parents before us, Nathan and I revert to code when discussing things around the kids that we don't want them to understand. Most often, this involves dessert: do we have dessert? what is it? should we have it right after dinner or is it so close to the kids bedtime that Nathan and I will have it after the kids are asleep? Our standard dessert is fruit, which here means apples, crunchy Asian pears, dragon fruit, mango, watermelon, plie mein (which we think is called longan in English), or rambutan. But sometimes we have cookies, sticky rice, or pumpkin custard as a special treat.
So the other day, Nathan and I were discussing whether we had "f-r-u-i-t" for dessert. Ellie overheard, and knew we must be talking about something good if we were spelling it. She wanted some, but given that she can't read, she can't spell (although she does know all her letters). So she asked us for "s-r-u-t".
Just today, I found some cute-looking panda cookies at the store as a special treat. Nathan and I started talking about whether we should have the marsupials* after lunch or for snack. Ellie, again knowing that if she can't understand what we're talking about, piped up and said with perfect diction, "Can I have a marsupial?"
*Then, while we were finally eating the marsupials at snack time, Ed said he didn't think pandas were marsupials after all. I looked it up on the internet, and all the respectable, science-oriented sites like the National Zoo say they are not marsupials. But there are also a lot of pop culture references (like the "eats, shoots, and leaves" joke) to pandas as marsupials. So, I'll leave this question to our resident biologists John and Scott: Why does everyone seem to think that a panda is a marsupial if it really isn't?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Re: marsupial vs. bear.
As you note, the panda is a bear and not a marsupial. I think the marsupial impression came from the joke about "eats shoots and leaves" that you referenced. If you google those terms, you get the joke which erroneously states that the panda is a marsupial.
The misinformation also might stem from confusion with koalas, which are indeed marsupials (and are not bears, i.e. "koala bear" is a misnomer).
John
It might also come from the fact that the phylogenetic disposition of pandas is weird and that giant panda and the red panda are not actually all that closely related. The giant (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an honest-to-God Ursid, in the same family as kodiaks, browns, and polars. The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), OTOH, is in its own family, meaning that phylogenists aren't entirely sure what it is. It's currently within the superfamil Mustelidae, meaning that it's thought to be related to skunks and raccoons.
Whoa! You guys are way too knowledgeable for me! But fascinating. Speaking of smart (which I kind of was) I think you have one smart cookie on your hands. Probably two.
Love,
Mom
I knew my two favorite science geeks would come up with a great explanation of the whole panda/marsupial question. Thanks, guys!
Post a Comment