Things you were shockingly old when you learned

I had a family of armadillos living in my back yard at one point, they're pretty cute but also carry leprosy.

I am sad that despite going to California pretty much every year from 2003-2015 that I never saw a raccoon.

I was happy to see a chipmunk one time though.

We had a contingent of German grad students teaching undergraduate German classes when I was in college. They got so excited by squirrels. Apparently, they are quite scarce in Germany.

tbf most of the hedgehogs I've seen in my life have been roadkill

I've seen plenty of roadkill armadillos in Alabama.

x-post - Yeah, I know. So weird. I wasn't cuddling the guy. I just got close-ish and got a good look.

They have squirrels in Germany but I think mostly little red ones and definitely not as many as in America.

I started seeing armadillos in MS in the 1990s, more every year since then.

xps yeah grey squirrels are relatively recent to Ireland as an invasive species, you’d be more likely to see red squirrels ime. There was a dray on my walk home from school and I’d sometimes see them. I went to school way out in the country and you wouldn’t see them very much cos they’re shy (?) Grey squirrels basically outnumber people in London though.

Kind of more concerned that your old babysitter seems to have stepped out of Under The Hawthorn Tree though.

My back yard has plentiful chipmunks, black and grey squirrels, rabbits, and shrews/voles*, and red foxes. Occasionally a raccoon.

We don't usually get deer in the yard, but they live nearby and we see them on walks.

* = I confess I can't tell the difference between shrews and voles

We had a contingent of German grad students teaching undergraduate German classes when I was in college. They got so excited by squirrels. Apparently, they are quite scarce in Germany

There's an old YouTube meme about how Germans have problems pronouncing the word "squirrel".

Actually I'm not sure how English people pronounce squirrel given how extremely non-rhotic most of them are.

Apparently Marlene Dietrich couldn’t pronounce the word “Help!” in English until Jo directed her to pronounce it phonetically as in German.

I haven't seen one squirrel since moving to Montana. (There are some, particularly in certain cities; I just haven't seen any out where I live.) The gray ones were everywhere in NJ, and my wife used to see black ones when she worked at Princeton University.

x-posts I was there a few months back and my cousin said it's the hardest word for him to pronounce in English. I got him trying on video. Tbf though eichhörnchen isn't the easiest to pronounce either.

There's an old YouTube meme about how Germans have problems pronouncing the word "squirrel".

You should hear Japanese people try it!

As a recent convert to Minnesota life I've been very happy to see urban rabbits and chipmunks, you don't get anything like that in London. Lots of grey squirls here too. Also a deer thundered past my window early one morning, but I haven't seen it again so maybe it was just a large dog? Albeit a large dog galloping down the middle of the roadway with no owner in sight.

The Germans called them "Vielfreßer"

i learned only recently there are fireflies in utah - more in the north part of the state, around low river drainages iirc. never seen them myself.

x-post - that means like someone/thing that eats a lot but also weirdly seems to be the word for wolverine.

looked it up - it does mean someone who eats a lot literally but it's the word for glutton. They were calling the squirrels gluttons. :)

We have large dogs down here too.

xp Yes, exactly--they are almost always nibbling.

aiui humans can contract leprosy from armadillos only by eating their under-cooked flesh (so always use a meat thermometer when preparing armadillo)

xp to gyac, to be fair, this Irish babysitter cared for
me from the age of 6 months to about a year— I have no memory of her

I am sad that despite going to California pretty much every year from 2003-2015 that I never saw a raccoon.

here in Oakland, we actually have a family of blonde raccoons living by the lake... not true albinos, just some kind of mutation.. I see them fairly often, they're prolific swimmers

I'm given to understand that firefly larvae are especially badass predators - they can numb and liquefy their prey.

When I lived in Brooklyn I was regularly delighted by the chipmunks in Prospect Park, which in themselves are I suppose no more remarkable than squirrels, but we don't get them in the UK.

Americans say squirrel funny ime

I suppose it's just that they emphasise the u and we emphasise the i

skwirl

My daughter's girlfriend called them squiggles one time and now that's what we call them

I suppose it's just that they emphasise the u and we emphasise the i

Eh?

You can't spell TEAM with either of those letters though.

Eh?

I don't know, that's roughly how it sounds to me. I see skwi-rel and they say skwu-rel (apologies to IPA). There is more to it than that though, I realise – Americans tend to almost say the whole thing as one syllable whereas I stress the skwi.

Skwurl

* I say skwi-rel, not I see skwi-rel, though quite often I do see skwi-rel

xpost

Yes, I think the main difference is Americans tend to not to pronounce the -rel part.

... or not very strongly.

I dunno, if you listen to Google's US and English pronunciation (controversially labelled as "British pronunciation") the rel is pretty clear

https://www.google.com/search?q=pronounce+squirrel&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB976GB977&oq=pronounce+squirrel

Sounds like skwurl to me...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P6B2JRU4Rk

Whereas...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGyWifMrDsA

There was a thread many years ago that I can’t find but sarahell and a few other people were riffing on the “change girl to squirrel” in a song lyric fun. i still sing “hey little squirrel, i wanna be yr boyfriend” when i have a notable interaction with one

Yes that wouldn't work in England - but it would in Scotland because "girl" is pronounced "gir-rel"!

In America it’s one syllable - here it’s 2. I hate it.

shockingly old to learn that 'squirrel' in an international tongue twister, had no idea

Hate GRA-HAM too. Gram. Sounds better and easier.

Hike up your skirt a little more
Show your squirrel to me

The French can't pronounce it either.

It’s a horrible word! it’s tough for everyone involved.

I'm not entirely sure Americans consider it one syllable, hmmm

Hate GRA-HAM too. Gram. Sounds better and easier.

Oh God no, that's horrible. Also I'm not aware of anyone every calling Billy Graham Billy Gram so what's up there?