We're grown up with lots of animal-based notions that to this day we believe to be true, resulting in adages like "sweating like a pig" (see #8).
So, in my on-going effort to make Boomers the best-informed generation of them all, here's a few commonly held ideas about animals that, as it turns out, are just myths:
| 1. Elephants are afraid of mice Researchers have disproved this myth, attributing it to elephants being startled by anything that blends in with their environment and then suddenly becomes present — which can be any small or large camouflaged animal. 2. Ostriches bury their heads in the sand when threatened An ostrich cannot breath with its head in the dirt, so, in fact, an ostrich would die if it buried its head in the earth each time it became frightened. This longtime legend actually stems from an optical illusion that the animal creates; when the giant birds are picking at the ground, from a distance it can actually look like their heads are buried in the sand. 3. Mother birds reject young touched by a human Most birds have an extremely poor sense of smell and cannot detect the human scent on their young. Still, it is not advised to handle baby birds as they are probably learning to fly and should not be disturbed. 4. Camels store water in their humps Nope...they use them for fat storage. The reason camels can avoid dehydration for up to seven days without water is not due to their humps, but because of their red blood cells that are shaped like ovals. The animal’s kidneys and intestines are the parts of their bodies that retain water and not the camel’s humps. 5. If you chop earthworms in half, both halves live Although it's hard to tell, earthworms do have a head and a tail. If you chop it in half, the part with the head and all of its vital organs will survive and most likely regenerate its tail but the original tail, without its organs, dies. 6. Cows lay down if it‘s going to rain So not true according to Dr. Jamison Allen, a livestock researcher that investigated when cows stood or laid down during the day: “If an animal is left on its own in a pasture, it will spend a third of its time gathering food, a third of its time eating, and a third of it sleeping. If they’re lying down, it probably doesn’t signal much beyond the fact that it’s sleeping time.” 7. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar As it turns out, flies, specially the ones often found in homes, are very fond of apple cider vinegar and filling some containers with it and a tad of sugar is the best way to trap them. 8. Pigs sweat a lot, hence the expression “sweating like a pig” In fact, pigs love a mud bath because they don’t actually sweat, so this is their ways to cool off. Pigs are also very clean, always washing themselves thoroughly after their mud bath. The expression “sweating like a pig” comes from the process of iron smelting. When liquid iron was poured back in the day, the shape resembled a mother pig and her piglets. 9. Bats are blind & feed on human's blood Bats see just fine, and in fact some bats can see three times better than humans. As for going all Dracula on us, in reality most eat insects. "Vampire bats" do exist, in Mexico and Central & South America, but feed mostly on cattle. 10. Mice love cheese In reality, Tom would have had a lot more luck catching Jerry if he used cereal or fruits. 11. Fish have no memory & don't feel anything Studies show fish can remember things like sounds five months later. They are also self-aware enough to recognize themselves in a mirror, they hunt collaboratively with others in a group, some of them like being petted and even “ask” for it from divers sometimes, and they have feelings and can feel stress. 12. Cats love milk While cats will drink milk, their bodies can’t properly digest lactose, which means stomach problems will usually follow - usually diarrhea. 13. One human year equals 7 dog years According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, for a medium-size dog, the first year equals 15 human years. The second year of a dog’s life equals about nine years for a human and after that each human year is equivalent to about five years for a dog. 14. Bulls attack when they see red The Discover Channel's Mythbusters did a test with different colored cloths and found the animal doesn’t have a preference for (or a grudge against) any color. It’s the movement in the fabric that entices him to attack. 15. Dogs see in only black & white The truth is that they do see colors, according to DogTime.com, just not all the colors. While humans can see all different shades, dogs see mostly yellows, blues and violets. That means greens and reds will appear to them as blues and yellows. You have been officially alerted.... |                |
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