Pandas or Wombats?

I'm giving a presentation today while I'm at ASM, and I'm using a picture of a wombat (one of the topics in the talk is E. coli from Australian mammals). So I have a question for you:


Which critter is cuter:

Pandas:
ATT1369285

or Wombats:
2624_wombat

Discuss. Inflammatory rhetoric is encouraged.

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I'd recommend breeding them to create a wombanda -- that critter would be so cute, little girls would have knife fights to determine ownership.

Otherwise, I'd pick the wombat, because the panda is a symbol of repressive China while Australian woman are really hot.

if you vote for the wombat, the terrists win

Wombats. I have a sign from a trip to Australia that says WOMBAT CROSSING. Pandas are just so common......

Looks like the critter in the top photo just learned about the search-and-replace comedy in "Of Pandas and People."

I think they both have traits that readily make them cute. An important distinction to be made is that the panda is an infant, while the wombat looks fully grown. A full-grown panda would most likely lose to a full-grown wombat. This holds for both photo contests and knife fights.

By Brian Thompson (not verified) on 22 May 2007 #permalink

Hey! You're in Toronto! I didn't even realize; for some reason I thought you weren't coming. You should definitely join us for dinner tomorrow...otherwise, I'm presenting a poster for the afternoon session. Stop by and say hi if you'll be around.

I guess it hasn't occurred to any of you wombat lovers that wombat-land is closer to the emptiest parts of the Southern Ocean than any continent except Antarctica. On top of that, if you've ever watched a wombat bumbling about, it quickly becomes apparent their creator was wholly unconcerned with injuries such as bruised noses and stubbed toes (thus the classic Australian insult 'wombat', meaning one who is unusually clumsy). Now, I ask you, what kind of monster lives in the desolate reaches of the Southern Ocean, and willfully created cute and cuddly critter which seems only barely capable of safely navigating its environment?
That's right. Only Cthulhu could have created such critter. Wombats, you see, are creatures of Cthulhu, luring humans into a false sense of security with their seemingly innocent cuteness, while they prepare the world for that Great Day, when the Stars Are Right.

I'd like to be the first to sign up for the "wombanda knife fight". Be advised, I'm bringin' a gun-because I do not intend to lose! (Cute and fuzzy drives me wild!)

That's right. Only Cthulhu could have created such critter.

Well, that settles it. Wombats. Wombats win the cuteness battle.
Out of curiosity, do pandas carry E. coli?

Bamboo is green and yellow, why on earth is the panda black and white and cuter than a teddy bear?

I know the talk is over, but I vote for baby tapirs.....

If you Breed a Kangaroo and a wombat it would create a wombaroo.

By Brandee Mcdougal (not verified) on 14 May 2008 #permalink

Wombats rule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think they both have traits that readily make them cute. An important distinction to be made is that the panda is an infant, while the wombat looks fully grown. A full-grown panda would most likely lose to a full-grown wombat. This holds for both photo contests and knife fights

I vote for wombats. Wombats have soul. My wife just got a chance to pet Florence the wombat at Healesville, Victoria. Florence was cunning and agreeable. Cute as they are, pandas are probably not all that pet-able. After the petting session, Florence gave my wife an inscrutable glance and toddled off for a nap. It was fun.

Of course, I always vote for the underwombat. Pandas are cute differently. Why not compare Pandas and Koalas? It's a fairer contest if you consider looks only.

Wombat is so cuter we just saved ones life by taking it to a wildlife carer when a dog was trying to eat it.
My friend almost fainted.