We went to Africa and Antarctica
to find out how donkey, giraffe and penguin got their names. Today we move to
the jungles of South China, the only place in the world where panda is found. Our
ancestors seem to be great naturalists. Without the Google and the Wikipedia, they
seem to know a great deal about panda. The most unique thing about panda is its
food habit. Panda’s food is 99% bamboo leaves and stems. No other animal would
dare to eat sharp bamboo shoots. Scientists have found out that muscles in
mouth and throat of panda are specially adapted to withstand sharp bamboos stems.
Our ancestors named panda after the food that it eats. Bamboo is known as VANSHA
(वंश) in Sanskrit. So panda was named VANSHAA (वंशा).
The journey from VANSHA to panda the journey has been very simple:
VANSHA (Sanskrit), = bamboo
BANSA (Hindi) =bamboo
PANSA (PANAS, Skt.= spiny object, perhaps origin
of pin)
PANJA > PANYA>PONYA (nepali)
PANDA (Tibetan)
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Etymonline, has this to say:
Word
Origin & History
panda
1835,
from Fr., apparently from Nepalese name of a
raccoon-like mammal (lesser panda) found there. First
reference to the Giant Panda is from 1901; since its discovers in
1869 by Fr. missionary
Armand David (1826-1900)
it had been known as parti-colored bear, but the name was changed after the zoological relationship to the red
panda was established.
