As much as the science advance and new discoveries are made, many myths and popular beliefs continue to circulate as absolute truths. This is because listening to something repeatedly creates an impression of confidence difficult to undo.
And when it comes to animalsthis situation is even more common, because the fascination we have for the amazing skills that these beings display in nature is confused with a number of popular myths and beliefs. Next, we will present eight of these myths about animals that many people still believe.
8 myths about animals that many people still believe
Bulls hate the color red
Because of bullfighting, many people think the bull gets angry because of the red color. In fact, bulls are colorblind to red and cannot distinguish this color.
What really irritates them and causes their aggressive reaction to wanting to horns is the movement of the cloth stirring by the bullfighter, regardless of color.
Therefore, red acts more as a symbol for the public than as a real stimulus for the bull.
Chameleon changes color to camouflage with the environment
If you ask most people: “Why do chameleons change color?” The answer is probably: “Obviously, it is to camouflage.” But it’s not quite around.
Although camouflage plays some role, this ability is much more linked to other animal needs.
The chameleon changes color especially to communicate socially, regulate body temperature and signal its physiological state to other chameleons. Camouflage, in general, is a much less common function.
Dogs see in black and white
One of the most famous myths involving man’s best friend is related to his vision. Many people still believe that dogs see everything in black and white.
However, in fact, their view is dichromatic, that is, they see two main colors: yellow and blue, as well as shades of gray. However, dogs confuse red and green, failing to differentiate these colors.
Bats are blind
It is more than notorious that bats have a fantastic hearing. With the ecolocationa kind of “natural radar”, these animals can practically see with their ears.
However, many people still believe this ability is to compensate for the bats to blind. But this is a myth. Besides not being blind, their view is not even that bad.
Ecolocation is not a compensation for blindness, but a useful evolutionary adaptation in dark environments, such as caves and night forests, where alone vision is not enough.
Goldfish have memory of only 3 seconds
Have you heard that goldfish have a memory of just 3 seconds? Because you don’t believe it.
In fact, they have a memory that goes far beyond that, with an average duration of months. Contrary to popular belief, they have a good memory, which helps them in various things, such as distinguishing colors.
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Touching a frog can give wart
This myth may come from the appearance of the skin of the frogs, full of small protrusions.
But the truth is that common warts in humans are caused exclusively by HPV (human papillomavirus) viruses, not frogs or frogs.
Butterfly wing powder causes blindness
Already leaned against the wing of a butterfly (or moth), saw that dust on the finger and panicked to wash my hands, thinking that if it leaned this in the eye, would it be blind?
This myth is very classic. This “dust” of the wings of butterflies and moths, which are actually small scales, won’t make you blind. At most, it can cause a slight eye irritation, not worrying.
Camels store water in the corcovas
Indeed, many people believe that camels can handle the heat of the desert because they store water in the corcovings. But this is myth: what the camel has in Corcova is fat.
They use this fat to help regulate body temperature and as a reserve of energy when they spend a long time without eating.
