Our word for a male flirt who makes love without serious intentions comes
from the name given to lovers in various medieval romances, but certain
marsupial animals also bear the name Philander and these are named for the
Dutch naturalist Kornelius Philander de Bruyn. Philanders, whose males may
or may not be philanderers, include the small wallaby (Macropus brunnii),
first described by de Bruyn in about 1700; the Australian bandicoot (Perameles
lagotes); and the South American opossum (Didelphys philander). Curiously,
the name Philander comes from the Greek philandros, a lover of men or
mankind.