# Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674 "2020-04-13T03:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 470
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9393 "2024-04-29T08:13:11Z")
Yes, it’s their way of coping with the low nutrient content of their food. Ruminants do the same in a more elegant way, but it is probably evolutionary no longer feasible for a rodent to become a ruminant, so they have to fulfill the function of the other gastric chambers the ruminants enjoy by passing their food repeatedly through the one they have. The way they have chosen is simple, effective and not socially acceptable among most humans (not that we were particularly fond of regurgitating cud either), but rabbits don’t seem to care. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9394 "2024-04-29T12:49:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Hm, not a Brassica, so it’s not related to the rape plant (which you probably know better by its rebranded name, “canola”). For anyone wondering what canola means: > [@Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across/851674/3765): > > TIL that canola oil comes from rapeseed: It’s a particular variety that is low in erucic acid, and was originally bred in Canada. The name takes “can” from “Canada” and “OLA” meaning “oil, low acid.” I also learned that rapeseed shares etymological roots not with rape, but with rapum, a latin reference to turnips, with which it also shares phylogenetic roots. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9395 "2024-04-29T13:42:55Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > “OLA” meaning “oil, low acid.” > [@Tell us an interesting random fact you stumbled across](#): > > “OLA” meaning “oil, low acid.” “OLA” doesn’t mean “oil, low acid.” That’s bad writing: Canola is defined as being an oil that is low-acid, but the suffix is the Latin feminine diminutive _-ola_ whose similarity to Latin _oleum_ & English “oil” and its early use for oily products (Shinola, Mazola, Crayola) gave it the new meaning “oil.” But the suffix doesn’t and won’t mean “low acid.” ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9396 "2024-04-29T13:55:54Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > “OLA” doesn’t mean “oil, low acid.” That’s bad writing: Canola is defined as being an oil that is low-acid, but the suffix is the Latin feminine diminutive _-ola_ whose similarity to Latin _oleum_ & English “oil” and its early use for oily products (Shinola, Mazola, Crayola) gave it the new meaning “oil.” But the suffix doesn’t and won’t mean “low acid.” Huh, you’re right. The Wikipedia page says this: > Canola was originally a trademark name of the Rapeseed Association of Canada; the name is a portmanteau of “can” from Canada and “ola” from “oil, low acid”.[[13]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed_oil#cite_note-14)[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapeseed_oil#cite_note-15) But neither of the two cites (**[13](https://books.google.com/books?id=ce7tBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA238#v=onepage&q&f=false)** and **[14](https://www.canolacouncil.org/about-canola/)**) support the “oil, low acid” assertion; they both agree with what you said. Thanks for setting the record straight. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9397 "2024-04-29T13:58:30Z")
The name was made up to replace the original name, rapeseed oil. The meaning is something that sounds better than rapeseed. It’s also called LEAR (Low Erucic Acid Rapseed) oil. It is highly refined vegetable oil, made from rapeseed bred to minimize erucic acid content. It’s purity allows it to be used as a lubricant and food safe polish. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9398 "2024-04-29T14:02:56Z")
Yes, I’m aware of what it is. When I was growing up my relatives farmed it, and called it (the plant) “rape,” and I remember [this sign](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTCXfF4g4D-7YoZ-6r918zOyqhI_5bqI0PXhArJrOa-nvxAjbEQzjh7EGAkcC1F-rcQMXU&usqp=CAU) well. “Canola” is a made-up word, but it’s made up as a portmanteau of two elements, each of which has a known source. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9399 "2024-04-29T14:20:10Z")
Sure. I replied to your post but I wasn’t intending to make it look like I was correcting you. I was trying to make the general point in the thread that the name is made up to sound appealing. Given the ‘Canada’ part, the ‘ola’ could have been anything, even having no root source if it sounded good. I imagine many commercial names work that way also. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9400 "2024-04-29T17:45:56Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > TIL that rabbits excrete two ‘types’ of poop. The initial poop, called a caecotroph, contains essential nutrients that have not been absorbed by the rabbit’s body, so the rabbit eats this poo, often eating it immediately after being passed from the body. The next poop is more of a ‘normal’ excrement, and is the pellet-type poop commonly seen in rabbit hutches. Yet another reason I’m amazed that so many people apparently consider bunnies to be the cutest things ever. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9401 "2024-04-29T17:56:12Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > no longer feasible for a rodent to become a ruminant Nitpick: rabbits are not rodents. They are lagomorphs (order _Lagomorpha_ rather than _Rodentia_). They were previously considered rodents but were moved to a separate order in 1912. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9402 "2024-04-29T23:14:22Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Nitpick: rabbits are not rodents. They are lagomorphs (order _Lagomorpha_ rather than _Rodentia_). They were previously considered rodents but were moved to a separate order in 1912. Thank you for pointing this out, otherwise I would have had to. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9403 "2024-04-29T23:45:34Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Yet another reason I’m amazed that so many people apparently consider bunnies to be the cutest things ever. But, they have such a cute grin. Give me a minute and I will come up with what kind of grin that is. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9404 "2024-04-30T11:45:10Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > TIL that rabbits excrete two ‘types’ of poop. Guinea Pigs also do this. The caecotroph, they actually curl into a ball to grab it directly from their anus. When this happens, it is traditional to yell “Butt Snack!” ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9405 "2024-04-30T12:32:16Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Yet another reason I’m amazed that so many people apparently consider bunnies to be the cutest things ever. I dislike domestic rabbits because if not very very tame they will make a convincing attempt to eviscerate you with their hind legs if you pick them up. They have surprisingly strong hind legs, with sharp claws. Also, show, meat rabbits and many pet rabbits are kept in cages just big enough to hop around a tiny bit. My pity for animals kept this way has only increased over time. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9406 "2024-04-30T14:30:13Z")
How else are they supposed to socialize? They don’t smoke! I learned the poop-eating stuff from Watership Down, but it’s still interesting! ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9407 "2024-04-30T14:52:33Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I dislike domestic rabbits because if not very very tame they will make a convincing attempt to eviscerate you with their hind legs if you pick them up. One of my daughter’s friends had one which had supposedly bitten the testicles off a rival male! Doesn’t sound very cute and fluffy to me. We’ve always had cats, so never considered rabbits as pets… I don’t think they’d get along… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9408 "2024-04-30T14:58:46Z")
> [@xtenkfarpl](#): > > We’ve always had cats, so never considered rabbits as pets… I don’t think they’d get along… You wouldn’t think it’s possible, but I know a family that has beagles, rabbits, and cats. They manage to get along with each other. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9409 "2024-04-30T18:09:25Z")
I once had a cat and pet rats at the same time. They even hung out on the bed together, although I had to keep a sharp eye on the cat. Sometimes when a rat ran past her, she couldn’t suppress her instinct to grab for it. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9410 "2024-04-30T18:20:07Z")
I had a cat, a dog and a ginea pig. The dog used to protect the pig from the cat when they were all outside. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9411 "2024-04-30T18:25:57Z")
TIL that the same songwriter, Ewan McColl, who wrote the 70’s love ballad “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was a bit of a tankie. Here’s his take on Stalin [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1p3nWc9E-uI/maxresdefault.jpg "The Ballad of Stalin - Ewan MacColl (1951) Lyrics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p3nWc9E-uI) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674/9412 "2024-04-30T18:35:30Z")
(In ironic coincidence his daughter was killed by a multimillionaire speedboater who bought his way out of prosecution) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=469) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-us-an-interesting-random-fact-you-stumbled-across-part-1/851674.md?page=471)