My 4yo is well aware of what a quoll, bilby, possum, numbat, yellow-footed rock wallaby and many other Australian animals are (though we are Australian). He also knows, though, what a greater eland is, how to spot the difference between a bongo and a nyala, what a dromedary camel is, what a fossa is, what a coyote is, and a lot more (he’s a bit obsessed by animals though… I’ve trained him well!)
The "Have Kids heard of it?" Metric
- Thread starter Alexjh
- Start date
If it doesn't have CGI animation or if the jokes aren't only gross bathroom humor (and this is coming from a guy that enjoys bathroom humor), then no kid really cares. Not to get off topic, but good cartoons, like the 50s Looney Tunes or Ed, Edd n Eddy or even Chowder and/or Jimmy Neutron were great, and I rewatch these all the time...
It's also a language barrier. My dad is from Argentina, and he calls tortoises "dirt turtles", but not because he doesn't know, but because in Spanish they're just called tortugas, which translates to turtles and/or tortoises. Specifically, tortuga de tierra: dirt turtles
Even jackals in pop culture are forgotten. The Jungle Book (book) had a jackal that would follow Shere Khan, but he's practically absent in the films. Also, Marvel has a villain named The Jackal, and not many people know about him
That's what people often refer to as "ABC animals", and on a global perspective I don't think we have any left in the wild mammal category.
Obviously domesticated animals are left, and in the bird category we'd have the generic titles of "stork", "duck", "pelican", "chicken" and maybe "turkey".
Even examining your list, here's my opinion on whether they are "ABCs":
Obviously domesticated animals are left, and in the bird category we'd have the generic titles of "stork", "duck", "pelican", "chicken" and maybe "turkey".
Even examining your list, here's my opinion on whether they are "ABCs":
- Sloth - maybe popular due to internet culture, definitely wasn't well known when I was a child
- Porcupine - my experience as a zookeeper is that many children don't know them
- Wild Boar - children know what a pig is, I doubt most could distinguish the eil boar
- Stork - definitely fits
- Coyote - maybe im the US, definitely not globally
- Tasmanian Devil - only uas the cartoon character going for it, and not with current children's generation, so I'd say no
- Kiwi - again maybe due to internet meme culture, but wasn't known when I was a kid
- Sea Otter - again not globally
- Walrus - tiis one actually may apply
Coyotes have as good of a cultural awareness as you could ask for in the US. Their problem is that unless you’re a bear, wolf, or cougar, people often don’t consider native species to be zoo animals. I mean, see the backlash over the raccoon and skunk from certain people. They’re generally considered pests of that same caliber.
Not trying to imply that they should also fit the bill for other parts of the world or anything, just expanding a bit on their native perception. I’d like to see them either way.
Not trying to imply that they should also fit the bill for other parts of the world or anything, just expanding a bit on their native perception. I’d like to see them either way.
Funny you say that because I was going to bring up the fact that despite their mundaneness, I have seen that they have been overlooked even by Aussies in discussions about Australian species we need in PZ even after getting the roadkill species in twilight pack.
Americans calling opossums without the doesn’t help either.
I mean, kinda similar here for Red Fox, Badger, Fallow and Red Deer - you might see the latter two in ornamental herds at stately homes but badgers and foxes are never seen, but conversely I have seen NA species in them here.
Maybe too off-topic, but you'd be surprised. Space Jam 2, the new series, and the advent of streaming have kept the Looney Tunes pretty cemented in pop culture. Perhaps not to the extent of Mickey Mouse and Friends, Sesame Street, or more modern icons like Spongebob, but I've seen plenty of kids sporting Bugs Bunny and the gang backpacks and jackets and such, at least here in New York.
I think these are definitely some species still missing that are at the top of the ‘Have Kids Heard of It’ list. Here are the following ones I think are the most recognisable gaps in the roster:
I can’t think of any other animals that would fulfil the ‘Have Kids Heard of It’ factor. Maybe the Wolverine, but I think people know the name due to the superhero, and not the animal. Of course, birds (like macaws, owls, eagles) and fish (clownfish, blue tangs, sharks) too but if I listed them, this list would never end! There are certainly others that people would recognise, but not to the extent of these animals.
- Domestic Breeds (cows, ponies, goats, rabbits, pigs etc) - For obvious reasons. Farm animals are learned from a young age, and these are definitely right at the top of this list. I’ve lumped them together just because they fill a similar niche and have similar reasons for their recognisability.
- Sloth - Whilst the three toed sloth is more recognisable than the two toed, it is the two toed that is more likely to make it into the game due to its captive presence. However, I think that any sloth species is immediately recognisable to people of all ages. These slow animals are ingrained in culture (from films like Zootopia to their name being shared with one of the seven sins) - I think if you showed anyone a picture of a sloth of any species, they’d know exactly what it is. This one hits the top of the list sheerly through its popularity, cute factor and how unique it really is.
- Old World Porcupine - These spiky creatures are another creature with a media presence, often being featured in animated kids films. Their quills and stories about them have allowed them to rise to ‘animal fame’, among children and adults alike. They are an animal that everyone can recognise at the zoo, even if just by their renowned name.
- Hedgehog - Another quilled animal makes its way onto this list due to its presence in popular culture. Known for their spikes and their cuteness, hedgehogs certainly are one of the species that kids could put a name to. They appear in fairytales, in animated films and are a staple of woodland wildlife.
- Tasmanian Devil - These animals’ names are definitely known worldwide thanks to Looney Toons. I won’t reiterate what everybody else has already said in regards to the Tassie, but its name is definitely one that is ingrained in popular culture (even if people’s visual perception of them is not quite what they look like).
- Yak - I wouldn’t put this one as high as say sloths or porcupines, but this animal has ingrained its way into the minds of children simply because it is one of the only animals that starts with the letter ‘y’. It appears in almost EVERY animal ‘ABC’ book or song as a representative for its letter, and for that it has become a recognised animal by children everywhere. It wouldn’t matter whether it were wild or domestic, the yak is certainly recognised simply because it starts with the letter ‘Y’.
I can’t think of any other animals that would fulfil the ‘Have Kids Heard of It’ factor. Maybe the Wolverine, but I think people know the name due to the superhero, and not the animal. Of course, birds (like macaws, owls, eagles) and fish (clownfish, blue tangs, sharks) too but if I listed them, this list would never end! There are certainly others that people would recognise, but not to the extent of these animals.