Pattern for subtyping unrelated but similarly-shaped classes in python

Question

I have two classes that have identical shape but don't share a parent class:

class Panda(object):
  def has_thumb(self):
    return True

class Monkey(object):
  def has_thumb(self):
    return True

I would like to subclass each of these to add some functionality:

class TalkingPanda(Panda):
  def has_thumb(self):
    print("I have a thumb")
    return super().has_thumb()

class TalkingMonkey(Monkey):
  def has_thumb(self):
    print("I have a thumb")
    return super().has_thumb()

Is there a way to refactor this code to remove the code duplication?

Answer 1

Sure, since you are using super() already you can use a mixin for this:

class TalkingAnimal:
  def has_thumb(self):
    print("I have a thumb")
    return super().has_thumb()

class TalkingPanda(TalkingAnimal, Panda):
  pass

class TalkingMonkey(TalkingAnimal, Monkey):
  pass