Thatababy by Paul Trap for September 05, 2021

kid sure knows his zoology

What did they teach you? It’s obviously “Meese”!

They should rename the Buffalo Bills football team The Buffalo Bison.

What have you herd about families of mooses?

Smart Kid, Indeed…..

What the mother buffalo said to her male child as he left home to start his journey through life: By son

Meese.

I know that the animal I grew up calling a buffalo is really a bison but this is the first I’d heard that the pronghorn antelope is now just a pronghorn. Though I was taught back then it really was a type of goat (despite the antelope bit) apparently that was wrong too. It’s more closely related to the giraffe.

I suppose the little smart-pot is now going to say that “moose” is the wrong name for what is properly an “elk” (Alces alces), and (to complete the t[ri]angle) what we call “elk” is actually just a kind of deer (Cervus canadensis) and more defensibly called a “wapiti” after the Shawnee (who should know). But why is everything so confus?

Oh, yes, and “mountain goats” are actually a kind of sheep.

Note that there is a European bison, thought it is more often called a “wisent”. I believe it’s mostly found in Poland these days.

Well, I learned something new today.

Tatanka! Buffalo! Potato! Patata!

People that get uptight about common names for species need to just relax (I’m lookin’ at you, Canada geese people!). If it isn’t the scientific binomial nomenclature, it’s all slang. Buffalo/Bison, Canada/Canadian geese, green/string bean, soda/pop….it just doesn’t matter unless you’re managing to confuse someone, which probably isn’t likely.