Don’t Touch Those Baby Birds
If you ever came across a bird’s nest when you were a kid, I am sure you were told, “Don’t touch the eggs, or Mama bird won’t come back.” Good news for kids like me, who always wanted to get a close look at a nest, that statement is just an old wise tale. The reasoning behind it is people claim birds can smell human scent, but birds have a poor sense of smell. Often when you are poking around a nest mama bird is just around the corner waiting for you to go away so she can return. To learn more on how to properly protect birds read https://critterfacts.com/10-simple-ways-you-can-help-conserve-birds/.
Take That Red Shirt Off at the Rodeo
You are not going to be charged by an angry bull for wearing a red shirt. You won’t be attacked by a bull for wearing any color in fact because bulls are colorblind. The thing that draws a bull’s attention is rapid movements. So, when the matador is waving his red sheet in front of the bull’s face it’s the odd movements that provoke an attack, not the color.
Don’t Move a Muscle
It is a good thing the Tyrannosaurus Rex is extinct because if not a lot of people trying to stay as still as possible would just provide it an easy snack. The misconception comes from the blockbuster Jurassic Park, where the key to avoiding a T-Rex is to stay still. This would not work in real life. The T-Rex had phenomenal vision. Its vision was believed to be better than humans and hawks, and the best estimations show it could see up to 4 miles away.
Daddy-Long-Legs Are the Most Venomous Spider
The old saying goes that a daddy-long-legs venom is the worst of all spiders, but its fangs are too small to bite humans. This is not even close to being true. There has been no evidence that its venom has any detrimental effect on humans. When its venom was compared to that of Black Widow its venom was found to be far inferior. Also, they can indeed bite humans, but very rarely do thanks to their docile nature.
Don’t Talk So Loud You’ll Scare the Fish
If you ever went fishing with your Dad as a kid, I am sure he told you to be quiet of the fish won’t bite. The truth behind it is sound doesn’t travel well between air and water. Even going as far as yelling will be barely noticeable to the fish. The only way making noise would scare the fish is if you plunged your head underwater and started screaming. This is probably something Dads tell kids, so they stop talking some much on fishing trips.
Bears Hibernate
Hibernation involves a process of lowering your body temperature, decreasing your heart rate, and not being woken up by noise or touching. Bears on the other hand undergo a process called torpor. It is similar in that it helps survive the winter, but not the same. Torpor involves not lowering their body temperature as much, and they still can react to stimuli. The moral of the story bears will not appreciate you being loud near their dens.
Wolves Howl at the Moon
Wolves do not have any preference about the phase of the moon when they howl. This misconception comes from the fact that wolves do howl at night with their head pointed at the sky. The reason it is at night is that they are nocturnal. When they point their head at the sky it’s not because of the moon it is just a way for them to project the noise further. If you are interested in other facts about wolves read https://critterfacts.com/graywolf/.
