# What the heck is a nittany?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 21, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452 "2004-05-21T23:20:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452/1 "2004-05-21T23:20:03Z")

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Just what I asked.

I saw a license plate frame on a car ahead of me at the bank for the “Penn State Nittany Lions.” My wife asked me what it meant. I was stumped. I mean, I know what the team is, and what scholl it is from. But what the hell is a “Nittany Lion?” As opposed to a regular old lion, for example.

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**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452/2 "2004-05-21T23:24:51Z")

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I think it is yet another name for cougar/mountain lion. Specifically ones native (or formerly native) to Pennsylvania.

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452/3 "2004-05-21T23:25:44Z")

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Twenty seconds on [Yahoo](http://www.greenworks.tv/radio/earthtones/nittanylions.htm).

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**Author:** ![daffyduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ec9cab/32.png) [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452/4 "2004-05-21T23:25:53Z")

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[Here you go.](http://id.essortment.com/nittanylionpen_rlkh.htm)

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**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452/5 "2004-05-21T23:27:31Z")

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Mount Nittany is near the University Park campus (the original campus) of Penn State. I don’t know if there ever actually were mountain lions on Mount Nittany, actually. [Here](http://www.psu.edu/sports/swimming/men/lion.html) is a webpage with some facts (and legends) about the Nittany Lion.

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452/6 "2004-05-22T00:35:08Z")

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Thank you. I don’t Yahoo, and Google didn’t give me much. I knew the Dope would come through! 😃

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**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452/7 "2004-05-22T00:48:12Z")

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Less ferocious, but certainly tastier, is the Mount Nittany from the [College Diner](http://www.thediner.statecollege.com/) in State College across from the Penn State campus. A big scoop of ice cream on top of a grilled sticky bun. Mmmmmm.

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**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-a-nittany/246452/8 "2004-05-22T01:00:37Z")

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> [@Duke](#):
>
> Less ferocious, but certainly tastier, is the Mount Nittany from the [College Diner](http://www.thediner.statecollege.com/) in State College across from the Penn State campus. A big scoop of ice cream on top of a grilled sticky bun. Mmmmmm.

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!

I was going to mention the Mount Nittany. And the Diner generally. But I hit submit and forgot.

I know I gained 20 pounds when I was going to Penn State on Mount Nittanys alone…