What I learned about Pandas

Hi Everyone! I hope you all had/are having a wonderful Easter! And a shout out to Meag, who at least commented on my blog, even if she didn't know why wetlands filter water. That's okay Meag, you were still the only person awesome enough to write anything (threatening gestures to the rest of you slackers...)

Anywho, about wetlands. They filter water because they are amazing. Just kidding. Really, they're like giant land sponges. The soils drain very poorly and they're usually pretty sandy/loamy. That means when water runs through it, most of the larger impurities are either filtered out by the soil, or taken up by the wetland plants as fertilizer (see: Tomatoes). Basically, they're Nature's answer to a Brita pitcher...but with more plants (hopefully. Believe me people, clean your Brita filters...don't make the same mistake I did). Essentially, Wetlands = My favorite partially inundated landscape. Also, if its a wetland in the US, and is located somewhere to the south of Pennsylvania and to the north of Florida, it probably contains wild rice, which is delicious.

So....Learning tale time! I know, I know, you've been waiting all week, right?

So this week, I want to tell you about Panda's

Pandas: The Trick Nature Played

That's right, when it comes to the panda nature is basically messing with our heads. It looks like a bear...it walks like a bear...it makes those weird grunt noises like a bear, so its a bear, right? Wrong! A panda is not a bear. So what the h@#& is it? Well...that's not the easiest question to answer. It is in the bear family (Ursidae) But it's not really a bear. In fact, it belongs to the genus Ailuropoda. Before you ask, I have no idea what the genus Ailuropoda is, because the Panda is the only living creature that belongs to it. That's right, the Panda is all alone, it's the very last member of its genus. I feel bad for the panda, but it probably gives it an edge over all the other critters of the earth. You know, kinda like those college students who get together and complain
"Yeah, well, I was up till two last night"
"Oh, two? Well, must be nice, I got in bed at four."
"Yeah, well, I don't sleep!"
You know those students? Well with pandas its probably better, kinda like this...
"Well you think your day's bad? I'M THE LAST MEMBER OF MY GENUS!"

Score one for the pandas.

But they get even cooler. Really, I swear! Turns out the panda only recently went vegetarian. True story! They're digestive tract are evolved to eat meat, and yet they eat bamboo. Those crazy critters, they can only digest about 17% of what they take in. So they have to eat all the time! Seriously guys...go eat a squirrel or something. My theory is, the panda realized that it was the last of its kind and decided it needed to go on one of those heart healthy diets to increase its longevity. Or maybe bamboo just tastes good. Who knows? Only people crazy enough to go gnaw on some bamboo stalks.

So that's my learning tale for the week. Pandas are definitely some of my favorite animals now. They rock hardcore.

Hope you all have a wonderful week. I will leave you with this question (its a little foreshadowing for my next learning tale. It's awesome, I swear)

Environmental Question: How long does a male emperor penguin go without eating?