What do pigs 🐖, owls 🦉, and pandas 🐼 have that sea stars and centipedes don’t? Emojis that represent them. A study published last December highlighted that emojis don’t accurately represent Earth’s biodiversity.
Researchers analyzed Emojipedia, the online dictionary of emojis. They found that animals are far better represented than plants and other organisms. Of the nearly 3,800 emojis, 92 are animal species, 16 are plants, and one is a fungus (a mushroom 🍄).
Plus, some types of animals are overrepresented, while there’s a shortage of symbols for others, including insects (see “Real Life vs. Emojis”). Stefano Mammola is a scientist at the Italian National Research Council and one of the authors of the study. He says many more living things deserve their own emojis.
“Biodiversity is much more than just cats, dogs, lions, and pandas,” Mammola told reporters.
He says adding emojis of lesser-known species, such as mosses and ferns, could inspire people to care more about conservation efforts. So when it comes to protecting the planet 🌎, emojis could be key.