The Conversation: What Did a Panda Ever Do For You?

April 16, 2010— -- Pandas. They are cute, fuzzy, with big bellies. One would think it would be nearly impossible to find someone who doesn't love a panda. Well, meet Jacob Lentz and Steve Nash, two writers who believe people's love of panda's is without merit. Lentz and Nash are authors of a new book called "The Animal Review," a critical look at a wide array of animals. The book examines various animals and rates each from an A-plus to an F. And pandas? Well they failed to make the grade, ending up with a solid F-rating.

The book, which began as a blog, is a straight forward review of animals ranging from ladybugs, to king cobras, to alpacas and even shellfish. And while neither Lentz or Nash have any sort of formal training with animals, they do stand firm with their judgments and have a host of reasons to back them up.

In today's Conversation ABC's Dan Harris and Lentz discuss the reasons behind some of their ratings. What system did Lentz and Nash use to rate the animals? Why do sharks and king cobras fair so well while alpacas and pandas come out at the bottom? And what kind of reaction have they received from their judgments?

Today's Conversation is for all animal lovers.