“Embarrassment” Of Pandas Might Be The Funniest Collective Noun In The Wild

You’re probably familiar with common collective nouns like “herd” or “pack,” but the most hilarious animal group name must belong to pandas.

With their chubby bodies, snub noses, clumsy antics, and enviable eating routine of 12 hours a day, pandas have long been top-tier meme material, and the collective noun for these bamboo-munchers is just as absurdly fitting.

As meme-ready as it sounds, the collective noun for a group of pandas really is “embarrassment.” These fluffy giants have more than earned the title, thanks to their famously clumsy antics and leisurely pace (via IFAW).

No one’s quite sure where this hilariously fitting name came from, but the internet’s sarcasm-fueled communities likely helped popularize it.

With behavior that’s more slapstick than survivalist, pandas often end up in the most ridiculous predicaments. It makes you wonder how these lovable oafs haven’t gone extinct.

Maybe that’s why pandas are considered China’s most treasured national icon.

Interestingly, in the 19th century, a group of pandas was also called a “cupboard,” though the origin of that term remains a mystery. Another playful label is “a bamboo of pandas,” inspired by their nonstop snacking habits (per The Sun).

“They eat mostly bamboo. Wild pandas spend up to 16 hours each day eating up to 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of bamboo,” reveals Encyclopedia Britannica.

Despite consuming massive quantities of bamboo stalks, shoots, and leaves, pandas can’t properly digest cellulose, one of the plant’s main components.

As a result, these hefty creatures need as many as 50 bathroom trips a day to flush out what their bodies can’t process.

When it comes to naming animal groups, humans often favor creativity over science. Take giraffes, for example: a group is known as a “tower,” a perfect match to their height and solitary tendencies in the wild (per BBC).

Meanwhile, a “skulk of foxes” reflects their sneaky nature and the Old Norse roots of the word, which means to lurk or prowl.

Still skeptical about calling a bunch of pandas an “embarrassment”? You’re not alone.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare has confirmed using the hilariously offbeat term to describe a group of pandas.

While “embarrassment of pandas” straddles the line between meme and fact, it’s widely cited in trivia circles and pop culture for its sheer absurdity.

“How the hell is that an actual thing,” one Reddit user exclaimed. Another confessed, “Honestly I didn’t believe it. So I checked and you’re right.”

Now that this too-silly-to-be-fake label is out there, people are itching to use it.

A viral meme joked that maybe the OP is a “group of pandas,” it got a surprising amount of support.

“The worst part is that it’s real,” one user wrote. Another chimed, “I don't even need to be part of a group of pandas to be called an embarrassment.”

Now, it seems like half the internet identifies as a group of pandas.

One commenter made the connection: “So the whole time it was Kung Fu Embarrass?”

Another showed affection for these goofy giants: “It’s hard to be scared of bears when they got pandas in their ranks — clumsiest bunch of potatoes that ever existed.”

Unless zoologists decide to put an end to this “embarrassment,” the term will likely remain official.

English collective nouns have always had a flair for the dramatic and the ridiculous. Some names reflect animal behavior or characteristics, like a “murder of crows” (per PBS), which stems from the eerie old folktale that crows gather to decide the fate of one of their own.

Others describe an animal’s looks in hilariously direct ways. Take “a prickle of porcupines,” for instance, nods at their intimidating yet comical spines (per Grammarly).

Then there are names based on long-standing symbolism. For example, a group of owls is known as a “parliament,” playing off their association with wisdom and thoughtful presence (per The Marginalian).

Some get even more whimsical. A “flamboyance of flamingos” captures the rhyme and the dazzling, synchronized displays these birds are known for (per WWF).

You’ve probably heard of a “colony of ants” or a “tribe of goats.” But if you know your “memory of elephants,” “bloat of hippos,” or “unkindness of ravens” (via Euronews), you rightfully earn bragging rights.

Red pandas are typically solitary, but when grouped, zoologists sometimes use the term “pack,” though sightings of multiple red pandas together are rare (per Smithsonian’s National Zoo).

A gathering of narwhals is called a “blessing,” fitting for these elusive marine mammals that rarely interact with humans. These so-called unicorns of the sea are native to Arctic regions including Norway, Canada, Russia, and Greenland.