Did you know …
That the King of Animals is actually … the shrew? It’s true!
Popular belief would place the mighty lion on the throne of the Animal Kingdom, or perhaps another likely contender, such as the gorilla, the giant panda, the giant anteater or the southern elephant seal, but it’s the humble shrew who is the true king.
How did such a tiny, fragile creature become High King of Animalia above all other comers? He poisoned his competitors! This is the origin of the old rhyme (often mistaken for a parable)
“Lo, the lion’s clawes be myghty.
Hark, the heron’s beake be sharpe.
Ah, the alligator may wishe to eat you,
But beware the poison of the shrewe.”
Legend has it that the shrew carries his poison in a tiny sack. This sounds adorable, but I just don’t know where he would keep it, so that part of the story may be apocryphal. Keep it out of the book report for now!
Why did old-timey writers use all of those extra vowels?
Who is the king of the plant kingdom? Of the fungi?
These are facts … for another day!
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