23 July 2017 - MYTHS ABOUT ANIMALS

MYTHS ABOUT ANIMALS

G'day folks,

Growing up we have been told several things about certain animals and their behaviours. We have believed some of the truths told, and some well garnished myths. 

Most animals, if not all, have been in existence for a very long time and there are some false myths about them that have no facts or scientific back up and have been passed on to generations. Although some claims have it that these animals haven been observed to appear or behave as stated in their myths, this is not entirely true. Here is a list of myths related to some well-known animals.

BATS ARE BLIND

Blind has been automatically added as a prefix of  bats “blind bat”. But the truth is that all bats can see to some extent. That’s why they have eyes. And most bats employ echolocation (which is like a kind of sonar) allowing them to “see” in greater detail than any human ever could. If bats are really blind, as believed, how then do they see to move around in the dark and locate tiny creatures that they eat?

Mother Birds Will Reject Their Baby Birds If Handled By People

 Often times when kids come across baby birds in their nest, this myth which they have heard overtime, stops them from touching the birds. Birds do not have a great sense of smell like humans, so how would a mother bird sense that her chicks have been touched by humans? Normally, a bird allows her little ones to fly around when they are old enough to, they become independent at such tender age, but humans just have a way of interpreting that behavior to mean – the chicks were abandoned because a human touched them.

Healthy Dogs Have Wet Noses

Humans sweat when their Adrenalin level is high, it has nothing to do with being healthy. Same with dogs; they have cold, damp or sweaty nose as an indication of their activity level in a particular period, it is not in any way related to its health condition.

Toads Give You Warts

 This myth is beginning to lose its hold on people, including children; only a few still believe that toads give warts. This myth probably came into existence when people wanted to stop kids from picking up animals outside for fear of picking dirt as well or contacting diseases. Warts are viruses, and they don’t come from toads.

Ostriches Bury Their Heads in Sand

 This is one of the most common myths about animals. No animal can breath with its head buried in the dirt, it’s as simple as that. Would any animal actually commit suicide in this manner? Pretty sure, no. This myth probably came from the fact that ostriches, like many other kinds of birds, eat pebbles and sand to help them digest their food. They also turn their eggs with their beaks, which is most likely what they do when it appears as though they are burying their head in sand.

Clancy's comment: There ya go. Now ya know.

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