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Also the animal world is plagued with false myths. Beliefs that we have accepted as true since childhood and that we have not stopped to check. Many of these topics you probably already know are not true, especially if you are an animal lover and you are interested in everything related to the fauna of the world. Others might surprise you. We tell you some of them and we explain why they became popular belief and why they have been shown to be nothing more than that, simple beliefs far from reality.
Each year of a dog's life equals seven of humans
We have always heard this expression: that to "translate" the life of a dog in terms humans, you had to multiply each year by life of canine for seven. Although there are studies that made this relationship broadly speaking, the equivalent cannot be carried out in such a simple way. First of all, it depends a lot on the breed of dog; While some tend to live much longer, there are more delicate breeds, whose dogs tend to have a shorter life. As a general rule, as recently estimated by the Association from Veterinarians In the United States, a medium-sized dog during its first year of life would develop into a human in fifteen years. When we get to the second, things change and we would be talking about nine human years. From the third year, it is more accurate to count five years as the equivalent in the life of a man or woman.
Bulls attack when they see the color red
Bullfighting left us this popular belief, but in reality the color of the cape has little to do with it. What really disturbs the animal is movement; in this case the piece of cloth shaking. Have been made numerous tests with the same type of fabric in very different colors and it was shown that the bull does not have any preference - much less is more or less aggressive - towards any particular color.
Ostriches hide their heads underground when they are afraid
This image has accompanied us since childhood, especially due to several Cartoon, movies or comics. In reality, it is inconsistent that these birds with such a long neck can hide it in the sand with such ease. In fact, it is not an animal that usually hides when it thinks that some danger lurks. The natural behavior of the ostrich when this occurs is to run away as fast as it can, like most animals.
Bees die immediately after stinging us
In some cases, the same has also been heard about wasps. It is the consolation that our mothers told us when one of these insects had damaged our skin by biting us. It is true that there are certain species of these insects that, by putting its sting in the thick human skin, it breaks in two and this causes their death. But experts assure that this occurs in one out of every thousand species and it has been counted that there are more than 20,000 different species of bees and wasps.
Pigs sweat a lot
In Spain, when we sweat the fat drop, the expression "sweating like a chicken" is usually used, although in northern European countries it is more common to define it by comparing it to "a pig". This is so because it is believed that these animals spend the day sweating, due to the appearance that their skin takes on the outside steam, but in reality, these animals do not sweat. Have glands sweaty, but not so much as to make your body look wet.
Bats are blind
This is one of the myths most taken as true by many people. This began to be said because, if we observe how a batThey seem clueless, as if they don't know where they are going. But in reality not only do they not have vision problems, but they handle themselves perfectly in the dark, hence they are animals that go out to fly at night, to look for food, and can be flying for several hours without colliding with any object. This is possible because they have a kind of radar that alerts them to obstacles. In fact, the American Veterinary Association claims that certain types of bats are capable of seeing three times better than humans.
Mice are crazy about cheese
Cartoons (such as the mythical Tom and Jerry or the adaptation of Disney from "Cinderella") led generations to believe that mice die for a piece of cheese. But it's not really the favorite dish of these rodents, due to their odor and greasy appearance. The taste of mice is much simpler: none would choose cheese if they can eat cereals or fruits first.
Cats love milk
Another false myth inherited from the animal drawings and that image of a kitten drinking milk in a bowl. But, if we think about it, the body of cats is not prepared to digest something as strong as lactose. If a cat drinks milk, it will probably get sick from the stomach shortly after.
Camels keep water in their humps
Many of us have thought this during our childhood and we were fascinated by this desert animal that is capable of not dying of dehydration thanks to the lumps on its back. But the reality is not exactly like that. Although it is true that these animals can live seven days without drinking water, it is not because it is inside the humps. Actually, a lot of fat accumulates in them, which provides them with energy, but the parts of the camel where more water is retained are the kidneys and the bowels of animal. It is the efficiency of these organs that allows them to save their own water and not become dehydrated.
If you want to read more articles similar to False myths about animals that we have always believed, we recommend that you enter our category of Animal Curiosities.
