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FALSE: Males Can’t Lactate
Most mothers probably wish their husbands would help them out a little more. Whether the man of the house is working away from home or simply lazy, it would certainly be nice if he could chip in sometimes. Well, goat mothers are in luck—their husbands can grow udders and feed the children. It’s important to note that this is a fairly common occurrence, and has been well-documented. But it’s an mystery for scientists, who aren’t entirely sure why the functioning male goats have bonus lady parts.
Most mothers probably wish their husbands would help them out a little more. Whether the man of the house is working away from home or simply lazy, it would certainly be nice if he could chip in sometimes. Well, goat mothers are in luck—their husbands can grow udders and feed the children. It’s important to note that this is a fairly common occurrence, and has been well-documented. But it’s an mystery for scientists, who aren’t entirely sure why the functioning male goats have bonus lady parts.
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FALSE: Crocodiles Are Slow and Scale-Covered
Scaly, hard-biting crocodiles are fast in the water and slow on land, right? But that’s wrong in two ways: First of all, they don’t actually have scales. The scaly appearance is actually the result of their skin cracking as they grow. Second, they’re actually pretty fast on land. They can move at speeds of more than ten miles (16km) per hour—and considering that they don’t usually attack until their prey is very close indeed, that land speed is more than enough. Most people also know that crocodiles are the top predator in their environment. But that’s probably because the other big animals they eat are herbivores like the water buffalo or the wild boar. Also, saltwater crocodiles have been observed taking down sharks.
Scaly, hard-biting crocodiles are fast in the water and slow on land, right? But that’s wrong in two ways: First of all, they don’t actually have scales. The scaly appearance is actually the result of their skin cracking as they grow. Second, they’re actually pretty fast on land. They can move at speeds of more than ten miles (16km) per hour—and considering that they don’t usually attack until their prey is very close indeed, that land speed is more than enough. Most people also know that crocodiles are the top predator in their environment. But that’s probably because the other big animals they eat are herbivores like the water buffalo or the wild boar. Also, saltwater crocodiles have been observed taking down sharks.
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FALSE: Animals Don’t Commemorate Death
Of course animals understand death: they have to protect themselves and their young, and many of them kill other animals for food. But it would probably surprise you to know that several species actually hold “funerals” and observe mini-rituals when others die. Baboons, for example, show increased levels of stress hormones (as do humans) and will expand their social circles and interactions with others. A red fox has also been observed burying a deceased companion. Elephants frequently guard the bodies of their dead—even if they were not related in life. If a western scrub jay sees a dead bird of the same species, it will investigate the body and call out so that other jays in the area hear the news. It might seem like they’re only warning their friends about the danger—but strangely, the birds also stopped eating for more than a day.
Of course animals understand death: they have to protect themselves and their young, and many of them kill other animals for food. But it would probably surprise you to know that several species actually hold “funerals” and observe mini-rituals when others die. Baboons, for example, show increased levels of stress hormones (as do humans) and will expand their social circles and interactions with others. A red fox has also been observed burying a deceased companion. Elephants frequently guard the bodies of their dead—even if they were not related in life. If a western scrub jay sees a dead bird of the same species, it will investigate the body and call out so that other jays in the area hear the news. It might seem like they’re only warning their friends about the danger—but strangely, the birds also stopped eating for more than a day.
FALSE: Animal Sex Is All Business
This is what most people would think—especially concerning the animals that really pump out the babies, such as rabbits and mice. But both of those animals are surprisingly poetic when it comes to love-making: they even sing a kind of song as part of their mating rituals. Rabbits—especially does—will make soft honking noises to let their mate know when they’re ready. Mice take things one step further, though, and actually sing to their mates. The sounds they make are ultrasonic (so humans can’t hear them), but when recorded and adjusted for human ears, they actually form a coherent song. The males will only sing these songs in the presence of females, or if they’re prompted with a female’s scent.
This is what most people would think—especially concerning the animals that really pump out the babies, such as rabbits and mice. But both of those animals are surprisingly poetic when it comes to love-making: they even sing a kind of song as part of their mating rituals. Rabbits—especially does—will make soft honking noises to let their mate know when they’re ready. Mice take things one step further, though, and actually sing to their mates. The sounds they make are ultrasonic (so humans can’t hear them), but when recorded and adjusted for human ears, they actually form a coherent song. The males will only sing these songs in the presence of females, or if they’re prompted with a female’s scent.
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FALSE: Fish Are Timid Eaters
This is usually true. Most river fish will either eat insects flying over the water, or any of the tasty-looking plant growth they encounter. But European catfish, in typical snooty fashion, are moving up in the world. They’re learning to hunt pigeons that come to the water to drink. They sidle right on up and then leap out of the water, chomping at a leg or wing. If they can grab one, they’ll attempt to drag the pigeon back into the water and drown it so that they can eat their meal in peace.
This is usually true. Most river fish will either eat insects flying over the water, or any of the tasty-looking plant growth they encounter. But European catfish, in typical snooty fashion, are moving up in the world. They’re learning to hunt pigeons that come to the water to drink. They sidle right on up and then leap out of the water, chomping at a leg or wing. If they can grab one, they’ll attempt to drag the pigeon back into the water and drown it so that they can eat their meal in peace.
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FALSE: Camels Must Be Constantly Sweating and store water in their humps
Anything that lives in the desert is going to be drenched in sweat. When daily temperatures reach one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (38° Celsius), the only thing that doesn’t sweat is probably a robot—or a camel, as it turns out. Most animals sweat to regulate their body temperature; when things get too warm, the body tries to cool itself down. But camels just let their body temperatures soar—all the way to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Their bodies have adapted to ignore the heat—because if you think about it, sweating depletes the most precious resource in the desert: water.
Camels do not store water in their humps. They store fat reserves in their humps, which can be converted to water and energy when sustenance is not available. As it goes without food, its hump begins to shrink and become floppy and flabby. Very thirsty camels can drink over 100 litres of water in a single drink. There is no evidence, though, that camels can store significant amounts of water for long periods anywhere in their bodies. Camels are just very efficient at using water, and they’re well-adapted to reduce dehydration. The camel has evolved – both inside and out – to hold on to as much of the water it takes in as possible. Its fur prevents it from sweating too much and special nostrils trap a large amount of water vapour in its exhalations which is returned to its body fluids, thereby reducing the amount of water lost through respiration. Camels also have specialized red blood cells, kidneys and intestines. Apparently their urine can come out thick as syrup and their feces so dry it can fuel fires! Through these adaptations camels are able to avoid dehydration that would kill most other animals.
Anything that lives in the desert is going to be drenched in sweat. When daily temperatures reach one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (38° Celsius), the only thing that doesn’t sweat is probably a robot—or a camel, as it turns out. Most animals sweat to regulate their body temperature; when things get too warm, the body tries to cool itself down. But camels just let their body temperatures soar—all the way to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Their bodies have adapted to ignore the heat—because if you think about it, sweating depletes the most precious resource in the desert: water.
Camels do not store water in their humps. They store fat reserves in their humps, which can be converted to water and energy when sustenance is not available. As it goes without food, its hump begins to shrink and become floppy and flabby. Very thirsty camels can drink over 100 litres of water in a single drink. There is no evidence, though, that camels can store significant amounts of water for long periods anywhere in their bodies. Camels are just very efficient at using water, and they’re well-adapted to reduce dehydration. The camel has evolved – both inside and out – to hold on to as much of the water it takes in as possible. Its fur prevents it from sweating too much and special nostrils trap a large amount of water vapour in its exhalations which is returned to its body fluids, thereby reducing the amount of water lost through respiration. Camels also have specialized red blood cells, kidneys and intestines. Apparently their urine can come out thick as syrup and their feces so dry it can fuel fires! Through these adaptations camels are able to avoid dehydration that would kill most other animals.
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FALSE: Daddy Long-legs Are Poisonous Killers
These wispy-looking things have earned the reputation as the most poisonous of any spider. But they’re also pretty common so, you might wonder why more people don’t die from daddy longlegs bites every year. This myth, covers its own tracks by also saying that their fangs are too small to penetrate human skin.
Yet Daddy Longlegs don’t have fangs because they don’t produce venom because they aren’t even spiders.
These wispy-looking things have earned the reputation as the most poisonous of any spider. But they’re also pretty common so, you might wonder why more people don’t die from daddy longlegs bites every year. This myth, covers its own tracks by also saying that their fangs are too small to penetrate human skin.
Yet Daddy Longlegs don’t have fangs because they don’t produce venom because they aren’t even spiders.
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FALSE: Bats Are Blind
The common saying ‘blind as a bat’ is not based on fact. They’re not blind because they look right back and you – with their eyes – that they use to see things. Bats’ eyes, while small and sometimes poorly developed, are also completely functional, not to mention the fact that they have excellent hearing and sense of smell. This means that almost all bats have reasonable eyesight, though not as good as humans as they don’t have to rely on their vision as much as we do. Bats often have excellent night vision. Fruit bats use their eyesight and sense of smell to find fruits and flowers.
But they do one better by having an additional sense called echolocation that allows them to navigate the world in complete darkness, something you can’t do. Bats that hunt insects, fish, or frogs primarily use a form of sonar to navigate through dark areas and avoid obstacles. They "see" using echolocation.
The common saying ‘blind as a bat’ is not based on fact. They’re not blind because they look right back and you – with their eyes – that they use to see things. Bats’ eyes, while small and sometimes poorly developed, are also completely functional, not to mention the fact that they have excellent hearing and sense of smell. This means that almost all bats have reasonable eyesight, though not as good as humans as they don’t have to rely on their vision as much as we do. Bats often have excellent night vision. Fruit bats use their eyesight and sense of smell to find fruits and flowers.
But they do one better by having an additional sense called echolocation that allows them to navigate the world in complete darkness, something you can’t do. Bats that hunt insects, fish, or frogs primarily use a form of sonar to navigate through dark areas and avoid obstacles. They "see" using echolocation.
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FALSE: Touching a toad will give you warts
This myth started because many frogs and toads have bumps on their skin that look like warts and some people thought the bumps are contagious. Human warts are actually caused by a human virus, not frogs or toads. Toads should of course always be handled with great care to avoid injuring them. You should also always wash your hands afterwards because of toxins in the toad's skin.
This myth started because many frogs and toads have bumps on their skin that look like warts and some people thought the bumps are contagious. Human warts are actually caused by a human virus, not frogs or toads. Toads should of course always be handled with great care to avoid injuring them. You should also always wash your hands afterwards because of toxins in the toad's skin.
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FALSE: Rabbits love carrots
A very common misconception brought on by Bugs Bunny being depicted with a carrot ever so often. Carrots are not a good food for rabbits and should only be given to them in moderation, having 5-10x more Calcium than they need, which can lead to bladder stones developing. And carrots aren't orange by nature. There were several colors ranging from white to purple before we made hybrids of the different colors to create the lovely, sweet orange variety.
Domestics may have the ability to survive for a short term in the wild eating grasses and herbacous plants but they'd have no knowledge of poisonous plants, little defense against diseas/parasites and a far reduced fear of predators. There was actually a post a few months ago about domestic rabbits being rescued after being abandoned outside. They all had severe mange and one was seriously ill from some frm of poison.
The difference between domestic rabbit diets and wild rabbit diets: wild rabbits have very sensitive digestive tracks so carrots, fruits, and nuts are very bad for them. When they where in our care they got small amounts of very high quality rabbit pellets and a pile of dark leafy greens twice the rabbits size. When you domestic rabbits as pets they got 1 cup of pellets each per day, unlimited timothy hay, and 2 cups of veggies like carrots, broccoli, dark leafy greens. Treats like apples or strawberries where given on occasion.
Similarly, many cats (and dogs as well!) are lactose intolerant so giving them milk can cause GI problems. Just because animals like eating something doesn't mean it's good for them! Same with onions and garlic! They cause blood problems.
And remember: potatos are not roots, nor are Sweet potatoes potatoes.
A very common misconception brought on by Bugs Bunny being depicted with a carrot ever so often. Carrots are not a good food for rabbits and should only be given to them in moderation, having 5-10x more Calcium than they need, which can lead to bladder stones developing. And carrots aren't orange by nature. There were several colors ranging from white to purple before we made hybrids of the different colors to create the lovely, sweet orange variety.
Domestics may have the ability to survive for a short term in the wild eating grasses and herbacous plants but they'd have no knowledge of poisonous plants, little defense against diseas/parasites and a far reduced fear of predators. There was actually a post a few months ago about domestic rabbits being rescued after being abandoned outside. They all had severe mange and one was seriously ill from some frm of poison.
The difference between domestic rabbit diets and wild rabbit diets: wild rabbits have very sensitive digestive tracks so carrots, fruits, and nuts are very bad for them. When they where in our care they got small amounts of very high quality rabbit pellets and a pile of dark leafy greens twice the rabbits size. When you domestic rabbits as pets they got 1 cup of pellets each per day, unlimited timothy hay, and 2 cups of veggies like carrots, broccoli, dark leafy greens. Treats like apples or strawberries where given on occasion.
Similarly, many cats (and dogs as well!) are lactose intolerant so giving them milk can cause GI problems. Just because animals like eating something doesn't mean it's good for them! Same with onions and garlic! They cause blood problems.
And remember: potatos are not roots, nor are Sweet potatoes potatoes.
![Picture](/uploads/4/4/8/8/44881767/754203.png?244)
FALSE: Rattlesnakes always rattle before striking
Rattlesnakes don't have to rattle before they strike. They don't have to be coiled to strike. You can't count the number of rattles to tell how old they are.
The toxicity of their venom usually depends a LOT of things; for example, you could be bitten by the same species (Lets say Crotalus atrox, in two different locations, California and Arizona) and the toxicity will differ depending on the snakes' diet, year station (since it could generate some stress on the snake and thus changing compunds on the venom), overall types of stress and lots of more stuff.
It is not that the baby snake's venom is worse, or that they eject more of it, but their venom is different than mature venom. Snake venom has different proteins that can cause different reactions in your body, and the proteins in the baby's venom were not mature yet. Venom composition change through development is well-documented in many pitviper species. It is thought that this is related to dietary shifts through ontogeny. To clarify, the juveniles do not produce the same venom as adult snakes, but it's because they're producing different toxins in different quantities, not that the proteins themselves are immature.
Trying to suck snake venom out usually does more harm than good. By the time you try to suck out the venom, most of the venom has already mostly moved on from that spot in the bloodstream, so it's not in the same place that you were bit. Also, in trying to 'suck out' anything, you usually end up making a bigger wound than you were given by the snake, because it's very hard for a human to suck anything out of two small hypodermic holes. In addition, if you have any sort of cuts or abrasions in your mouth, any venom you do suck out can be transferred to your bloodstream through the mouth.
Another thing some people say is to bring in the snake for identification. This is probably dangerous and a waste of time. If it's a rattlesnake, it doesn't matter what type it is as antivenom is formulated with multiple antibodies for all the rattlesnakes in the region.
Rattlesnakes don't have to rattle before they strike. They don't have to be coiled to strike. You can't count the number of rattles to tell how old they are.
The toxicity of their venom usually depends a LOT of things; for example, you could be bitten by the same species (Lets say Crotalus atrox, in two different locations, California and Arizona) and the toxicity will differ depending on the snakes' diet, year station (since it could generate some stress on the snake and thus changing compunds on the venom), overall types of stress and lots of more stuff.
It is not that the baby snake's venom is worse, or that they eject more of it, but their venom is different than mature venom. Snake venom has different proteins that can cause different reactions in your body, and the proteins in the baby's venom were not mature yet. Venom composition change through development is well-documented in many pitviper species. It is thought that this is related to dietary shifts through ontogeny. To clarify, the juveniles do not produce the same venom as adult snakes, but it's because they're producing different toxins in different quantities, not that the proteins themselves are immature.
Trying to suck snake venom out usually does more harm than good. By the time you try to suck out the venom, most of the venom has already mostly moved on from that spot in the bloodstream, so it's not in the same place that you were bit. Also, in trying to 'suck out' anything, you usually end up making a bigger wound than you were given by the snake, because it's very hard for a human to suck anything out of two small hypodermic holes. In addition, if you have any sort of cuts or abrasions in your mouth, any venom you do suck out can be transferred to your bloodstream through the mouth.
Another thing some people say is to bring in the snake for identification. This is probably dangerous and a waste of time. If it's a rattlesnake, it doesn't matter what type it is as antivenom is formulated with multiple antibodies for all the rattlesnakes in the region.
FALSE: A deer in headlights is frozen with fear
"Deer in the headlights" syndrome has nothing to do with fear. It's a neuro-paralysis caused by over stimulation when the animals that are adapted to seeing at night are flooded with light. They physically can't move.
"Deer in the headlights" syndrome has nothing to do with fear. It's a neuro-paralysis caused by over stimulation when the animals that are adapted to seeing at night are flooded with light. They physically can't move.