....shouldn't they also call rats flightless pidgins?
2007-06-01 09:44:34 · 9 answers · asked by Skippy 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
okay, pidgons.
sorry for the spelling mistake.
2007-06-01 09:51:03 · update #1
pigeons. again, sorry.
as you can tell, I'm a bad speller. please just answer the question
2007-06-01 09:51:50 · update #2
Ummm....MOM KNOWS EVERYTHING...how does that answer my question?
2007-06-01 09:53:37 · update #3
sciencemom, squirrels are not rats....squirrels are cute, rats are not...which proves they are completely different.
2007-06-01 09:54:40 · update #4
You're wrong; rats are just as cute as squirrels. They are pests though.... But then so are squirrels. And gophers are just as cute. I've seen children feeding leaves and grass to a gopher. It stuck its head out of the hole and took the food, over and over again. Finally, after eating, it pushed out all the pieces it didn't want. I guess gophers like to keep a tidy hole.
But you are right about one thing. From now on I am referring to rats as flightless pigeons. Mice will be flightless sparrows.
2007-06-01 18:45:52 · answer #1 · answered by The First Dragon 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We are talking here of domestic pigeons not the many other species of pigeon that exist around the world. Domestic pigeons have taken over the cities of the world just as rats have. Neither the pigeons nor the rats would exist in such large numbers without humans. We provide the garbage that feeds both the pigeons and the rats.
The rats were here first and were well established by the time the pigeons arrived, mainly escaped homing pigeons and cage birds, so the rats get first mention.
In many countries, both the rats and the pigeons were imported along with a sad list of other feral animals. Grey squirrels in the UK are rats with furry tails. In Australia there are starlings, mice, indian mynahs, cane toads and rabbits (among many others) to add to the pigeons and rats.
2007-06-01 17:18:57 · answer #2 · answered by tentofield 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why do we call these animals pests? They have nowhere else to live, since humans took everything, so they're doing the best they can with what they've got. They're some of the very few species that can thrive in a human-dominated environment. The rest of them just keel over and go extinct like florida panthers and buffalo. During the next mass extinction which is predicted to be within our lifetimes, these 'pests' will be of the few resilient animals that will prevail. In a couple million years we might just have a whole new earth with a bunch of crazy pigeon and rat spin-offs.
2007-06-02 12:31:58 · answer #3 · answered by pinktowhite 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mainy it's an insult - rats are pests, and pigeons can be pests in cities as well. In areas where squirrels are a problem (chewing up houses, wiring, bird feeders, etc.) they are often called 'tree rats' or similar insults. I don't know anybody much who thinks of rats as nice cuddly creatures, so it stands to reason that 'rat' would be the insult term.
2007-06-01 22:23:02 · answer #4 · answered by John R 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
squirrels are rats with tails, pidgins are rats with wings.... and this is very silly - but it gives me 2 points to answer.
2007-06-01 16:50:45 · answer #5 · answered by Sciencemom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No...takes too much effort. Just call 'em pigeons!
2007-06-01 16:47:30 · answer #6 · answered by happy4u 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The word is pigeon. "pidgin" means something else entirely.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pidgin
I know you weren't looking for a serious answer, but if you read that link, you may learn something.
You're welcome.
2007-06-01 16:46:23 · answer #7 · answered by MOM KNOWS EVERYTHING 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
yes
2007-06-01 16:47:10 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
cause pigeons are dirty!
2007-06-01 16:46:58 · answer #9 · answered by kel§ey 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋