Mythbusters! 5 Things You Thought You Knew About Animals
Updated: Sep 11
Mythbusters: 5 Things You Thought You Knew About Animals
We've all heard them. Bats are blind. Ostriches bury their heads in the sand. Touch a baby bird and its mother won't take it back. Some animal “facts” have been repeated for so long that we rarely stop to ask whether they're actually true. The animal kingdom is fascinating enough without the myths, so let's put five familiar claims to the test. Check out the Mythbusters below. How many of these did you believe?
Myth #1: Bats Are Blind
VERDICT: BUSTED!
There's a reason we say “blind as a bat,” but the expression isn't giving bats nearly enough credit. Bats can see. In fact, some species have very good eyesight. Many bats also use echolocation, sending out high-frequency sounds and interpreting the returning echoes to navigate and locate food in darkness.
According to the Smithsonian, all bats can see, although vision varies among species.
So rather than stumbling around blindly at night, bats are equipped with multiple ways of
understanding the world around them.
Fun Fact: Bats are the only mammals capable of true, sustained flight.
Myth #2: If You Touch a Baby Bird, Its Mother Will Abandon It
VERDICT: BUSTED!
This one has probably stopped generations of well-meaning people from touching a baby bird. The good news? A mother bird isn't going to smell your fingerprints on her chick and suddenly abandon it.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology explains that parent birds invest considerable time and energy raising their young and won't reject a chick simply because a human touched it.But that doesn't mean every baby bird you see needs rescuing. A fully feathered young bird hopping around on the ground may simply be a fledgling learning to fly, with its parents still nearby. Sometimes the best way to help wildlife is to give it space.
Myth #3: Ostriches Bury Their Heads in the Sand When They're Scared
VERDICT: BUSTED!
Imagine being the world's largest living bird and still being famous for something you don't even
do. Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand to hide from danger. They do, however, lower their heads to tend eggs in ground nests. When threatened, an ostrich may also lie low with its neck stretched along the ground. From a distance, that can create the illusion that its head has disappeared into the sand. And hiding isn't their only defense. An ostrich has powerful legs, can run at impressive speeds, and can deliver an extremely
dangerous kick. Suddenly, burying its head doesn't sound very ostrich-like at all.
Myth #4: A Dog's Mouth Is Cleaner Than a Human's
VERDICT: BUSTED!
Sorry, dog lovers. You might want to reconsider using this one to justify all those face kisses. Dogs' mouths aren't necessarily cleaner than ours—they simply contain different communities of microbes.
Veterinary experts note that both human and canine mouths contain hundreds of types of bacteria. Most of the microbes in a dog's mouth aren't likely to make a healthy person sick, but that doesn't make a dog's mouth “clean.” Think about everything your dog sniffs, licks, chews, and occasionally decides is worth eating. Enough said. Those slobbery kisses may be full of love, but they aren't exactly mouthwash.
Myth #5: You Can Tell a Rattesnake's Age by Counting Its Rattles
VERDICT: BUSTED!
One rattle equals one year, right? Not quite. A rattlesnake adds a new segment to its rattle when it sheds its skin, not on its birthday. Younger, fast-growing snakes may shed several times in a year, while shedding frequency can change as the snake grows. Rattle segments can also break off. So if you encounter a rattlesnake with eight segments, you haven't discovered an eight-year-old snake—you've simply discovered a rattlesnake whose age remains a mystery. And that's probably a mystery best investigated from a respectful distance!
The Truth Is Usually More Interesting
Animal myths often begin with a real behavior that gets misunderstood, exaggerated, or simply
repeated for generations. But when we take the time to learn what's actually happening, animals become even more fascinating.
At Animal Tracks, education is an important part of our mission. The animals in our care give visitors anopportunity to learn about different species, their natural behaviors, their needs, and the challenges that can arise when wild and exotic animals become part of the pet trade.
The more we understand animals for what they truly are—not what movies, myths, or social media tell us they are, the better equipped we become to respect and protect them. So the next time someone tells you that bats are blind or an ostrich sticks its head in the sand, you know what to say:
Myth busted!
Works Cited
Smithsonian Institution. “Bat Facts.”
Smithsonian — Bat Facts
Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “If I Handle a Baby Bird, Will the Parents Abandon It?”
Cornell Lab — All About Birds
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “Ostrich.”
San Diego Zoo — Ostrich
American Kennel Club. “Is a Dog's Mouth Cleaner Than a Human's Mouth?”
AKC — Dog Mouth Myths
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. “Amphibian & Reptile Survey — Teacher Information.”
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum — Amphibians & Reptiles
