The dictionary definition of a fact is that it is a piece of information that is known to be true.
But, since none of us can be an expert or knowledgeable about everything, there are many things which we somehow believe to be true, but aren’t.
For example, there are many “facts” about animals which are simply not true.
To illustrate that claim, our Life Daily researchers discovered a few of the most common misconceptions about animals and their behavior.
Browse through our short list to discover that facts which you thought you knew about animals, simply aren’t true:
1. Elephants
Older elephants that are near death do not leave their herd and go by instinct to an “elephants’ graveyard” to die.
2. Bulls
Bulls cannot distinguish the color red. It is not the color of the cape, but the perceived threat by the matador that incites it to charge.
3. Dogs
Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not sweat by salivating. They have sweat glands, and not only on their tongues. They sweat, mainly through the footpads.
4. Lemmings
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Lemmings do not commit suicide by jumping off cliffs when migrating. However they occasionally unintentionally fall off cliffs when in unknown territory. This misconception arose following the Disney film White Wilderness, which shot many of the migration scenes on a large, snow-covered turntable in a studio. Photographers later pushed the lemmings off a cliff.
5. Bats
Bats are not blind. All bat species have eyes and are capable of sight. In addition, almost all bats in the fruit bat family have excellent night vision.
6. Ostriches
Ostriches do not hide their heads in the sand to hide from enemies. This misconception was probably created by Pliny the Elder (AD 23–79), who wrote that ostriches “imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of their body is concealed.”
7. Baby Birds
It does not harm baby birds to pick them up and return them to their nests, and the mother will not reject them. Some birds have a limited sense of smell, and many species primarily rely on visual cues, so they do not detect a human scent.
8. Ducks
A duck’s quack actually does echo, although it may be difficult to hear for humans under some circumstances.
9. Goldfish
The belief that goldfish have a memory span of just a few seconds is wrong. It is much longer and can be counted in months.
10. Sharks
The idea than Sharks cannot suffer from cancer is not true. This misconception arose from the 1992 book “Sharks Don’t Get Cancer” by I. William Lane. Reports of carcinomas in sharks do exist.
So, as you can see, many of the facts you previously believed about animals simply aren’t true.
Which of these revelations did you find the most surprising? Are the other misconception you know of?
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