Common Misconceptions about Animal Behaviors

Ostriches Don’t Really Bury Their Heads In The Sand

Of all animal kingdom myths, perhaps, the most iconic is the idea that an ostrich buries its head in the sand when under duress. While it’s true that ostriches are not known for their bravery, they would die from suffocation if they genuinely did this. When an ostrich senses danger, it lies low and flat to the ground in an attempt to hide and blend into its surroundings. From a distance, it might look like they’ve buried their heads, but they are actually keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings

Bats Are Not Blind

Contrary to the popular idiom “blind as a bat,” bats have perfectly good eyesight. Most bat species, in fact, have quite excellent night vision. They use echolocation, a form of sonar, to navigate and locate food in the dark rather than relying on their vision. Although their sight might not be as sharp as ours during the day, they still can see perfectly well.

Myths Related to Animal Intelligence and Emotion

Goldfish Have More Than a Three-Second Memory

Despite a widespread belief, goldfish don’t just have a three-second memory span. Instead, research shows they can recall information for several months. This myth probably stemmed from people observing the fish’s circular movements in a bowl and mistakenly inferring that the fish can’t remember having been in that part of the bowl just a few seconds earlier.

Elephants Do Not Cry Emotional Tears

The belief that elephants mourn their dead publicly and shed tears of sadness is passed around, however, there’s no scientific basis for this. While elephants are known to grieve and show interest in the bones of their deceased kin, there are no reported instances of them crying emotional tears like humans do.

Wildlife Misunderstandings: Birds and Bugs

Mother Birds Don’t Abandon Chicks that have been handled by Humans

Many people believe that if they touch a baby bird, the mother bird will refuse to care for it, simply because they can smell the human scent. The truth is that most birds have a poor sense of smell. Although it’s generally best not to interfere with nature, a mother bird will not abandon its chick just because it was handled by a human.

Butterflies Don’t Live Just for a Day

It’s a commonly believed myth that butterflies only live for one day. In fact, most butterflies live for a few weeks, and some species can live up to a year. The notion perhaps comes from the butterfly’s adult stage – the stage where they have wings – which is indeed short but lasts several weeks, not just a day.

Dispelling Myths about Dangerous Creatures

All Bees Die After They Sting

Not all bees die after they sting. This self-sacrificing trait is unique to honey bees. Worker honey bees — the females — are the only ones that die after stinging. Bee stingers are barbed, they stick into the victim causing their abdomens to rupture when they fly away. However, king bees, queen bees, and almost all other species do not have barbed stingers, and hence, they can sting multiple times without facing the same consequence.

Not All Spiders Are Deadly to Humans

A common fear amongst many people is that all spiders are dangerous. However, of the roughly 35,000 species of spiders known to exist, only a small percentage are venomous enough to harm humans. Far from being our enemies, spiders play a crucial role in controlling insect populations, becoming essential for maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

Unraveling these and many more myths about the animal kingdom can lead to a better understanding and appreciation of these creatures. In casting aside these misconceptions, it becomes clear just how complex and fascinating animals are, and how they surprise and exceed our expectations.