A group of wolves is called a pack, a group of cats is called a clowder, and a group of dolphins is called a pod. Collective nouns can be ridiculous and pretty strange and have no set rules. But when it comes to a group of pandas, things get doubly odd.
A group of pandas is most commonly called a shame of pandas, more than likely due to their lovable and awkward routines. A group of pandas is also sometimes called a cabinet or bamboo of pandas, presumably since of their diet. Why are groups of pandas called this?
Why they got to call us that way? Image credits: Stone Wang.
A humiliating name
We reached out to numerous lexicologists and linguists and panda professionals trying to find answers. “Its a great question!” one expert told us. “I would likewise like to know the answer.” Everybody told us they were familiar with the “humiliation of pandas” however nobody could shed ideas regarding where this term originated and why.
” Ive had a word with our panda professionals and they agree that there isnt a widely accepted group name for giant pandas, sadly,” one representative from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland told us. “Theyve heard both a bamboo and a humiliation utilized, but as I say theres no widely accepted group name.”
Just like with baby animal names (did you understand a shark child is called a puppy?) the world of cumulative animal nouns is a little bit of a jungle. There are no set guidelines for establishing them, no authoritative body that does it, and its practically whatever catches on. For some species, it sort of make good sense, or a minimum of its become so typical that it seems typical. However for other species, the names can be straight-out weird.
Something fairly similar occurred with pandas.
Its almost like someone wants to destroy the excellent name of pandas by hinting at their clumsy nature but took it one action too far. When you figure and try out where the name stems, there are couple of good leads.
You probably have that one friend who takes pleasure in pointing this out or sent you the “attempted murder” joke, but why is a group of crows called a “murder”? Crows are associated with dark and gothic symbolism and one sensible leap later: a murder of crows.
Who would have thought that the adorable, adorable, popular pandas conceal such a deep secret?
Words continuously adjust and emerge, and languages arent set in stone. In todays interconnected world, that happens especially quickly and lawlessly– linguists do not set the rules, they simply observe whats happening and how words are utilized.
We took another path: the web.
Note that the timeline of this chart is much lower than the other ones.
The earliest online reference you can discover on the web originates from a 1999 site that develops “jeopardy-like video games”– so probably, its been around for more than 20 years considering that it was listed as a referral, but possibly very little more than that.
” Todays lexicographers are describers of English instead of lawmakers. The definitions they compose are based upon proof from thousands of gathered texts– newspapers, academic journals, teen publications, text– and from transcriptions of the spoken word.”
Panda linguistics
This could, however, be linked to the later contact that the English language had with pandas. The average English speaker in the 14th century would have been familiar with crows however would have had no concept what pandas are.
Image via Wiki Commons.
While an “embarrassment of pandas” sounds quite cool (though not if youre a panda), it might not be the way to go. Based on what were seeing online, the “group of pandas” appears to be the one getting more popular.
Google Books n-gram for numerous methods of calling a group of lions.
When it concerns discussing the name for a group of pandas, book after book and research study after research study follows the very same pattern: they keep in mind the cumulative noun for pandas as a curiosity and make short, incredibly elusive remarks on its origins (or dont discuss its origins at all).
It makes a bit of sense given that pandas are understood for their sometimes awkward motions and adorable, silly gestures. Theyre likewise understood for their “lazy” breeding, which makes breeding in captivity extremely tough. All this probably resulted in the association under the “humiliation”. Because pandas invest 10-16 hours a day feeding on bamboo, an infamously poor nutritional source, the “bamboo of pandas” also most likely caught on.
We could not trace the names origin to a single source, either. It just seems that in some way, organically, it captured on.
An n-gram comparison of various methods of describing a group of crows from Google Books. Higher portion suggests more popular.
Possibly an “shame of pandas” will likewise take off, although in the meantime, theres insufficient information to see a long-lasting advancement. So rather, we looked at online referrals. Google Trends recommend that in fact, the most popular method to refer to a group of pandas (aside from “a group of pandas”) is really a “bamboo of pandas”– not a shame.
We likewise couldnt learn where it stemmed.
Often, these words take off, like when it comes to “a pride of lions” in the 1930s, when most individuals seem to have begun going with it. A “murder of crows” seems to be rising, so it might become dominant.
Collective nouns are no exception. No authority sets the rules, they simply capture on organically. “Who chooses the ideal collective noun for something? The brief answer is nobody,” the same Oxford English Dictionary reads.
Pandamonium
An absurdity of pandas
At the end of the day, what do you call a group of pandas? An embarrassment of pandas is most likely the catchiest choice, however its not nearly the most popular one. A “group of pandas” seems to be the most popular option– while likewise being the blandest and least intriguing of the group. A “bamboo of pandas” is an unlikely popular contender as well.
” I am unsure there is a real scientific name for a group of huge pandas given that they are singular animals. The only times they engage with each other are during the reproducing season and when a mother gives birth to a cub. Most of time beyond that is spent alone.”
In our ultimately unproductive but worthy crusade to discover out where the name for a group of pandas originated, we found that such a name may even not make sense. Pandas are singular creatures that do not truly invest much time in groups. A representative from Pandas International, a charity that seeks to ensure the conservation and proliferation of the threatened Giant Panda, described that pandas are essentially never ever found in groups.
It looks like an “absurdity of pandas” would be a more accurate name than an embarrassment, but thats not likely to capture on. If were doing not have established names to call a group of pandas, why not make up some much better ones? Here are some ideas:
a cuddle of pandas;
a bundle of pandas;
a snuggle of pandas;
a lapful of pandas;
a fuzzy of pandas;
a huddle of pandas;
a fluff-fest of pandas.
Which one is your favorite?
A representative from Pandas International, a charity that seeks to ensure the conservation and propagation of the endangered Giant Panda, described that pandas are basically never ever found in groups.
Google Trends suggest that in fact, the most popular method to refer to a group of pandas (other than “a group of pandas”) is in fact a “bamboo of pandas”– not a humiliation.
A group of pandas is most frequently called a humiliation of pandas, most likely due to their lovable and awkward practices. A group of pandas is likewise often called a cupboard or bamboo of pandas, most likely due to the fact that of their diet plan. Since pandas spend 10-16 hours a day feeding on bamboo, an infamously poor nutritional source, the “bamboo of pandas” also most likely captured on.
