🐾 Animals & Nature
74 entries on file
Goldfish Have a Three-Second Memory
Goldfish can remember for months and can be trained
Drop Bears Are Just a Myth to Scare Tourists
One of the most dangerous misconceptions you can carry into the Australian bush.
Ostriches Bury Their Heads in Sand
Ostriches dig holes for eggs and lower their heads to tend them
Elephants Have Perfect Memory
Elephants have good memory but not perfect; they forget like all animals
Chameleons Change Colour to Match Their Surroundings
Chameleons change colour primarily for communication, not camouflage
Porcupines Shoot Their Quills
Porcupines don't shoot; quills detach easily on contact
Lemmings Commit Mass Suicide by Jumping Off Cliffs
Lemmings die when migrating due to over population; not suicide behaviour
Camel Humps Store Water
Humps store fat; water is stored in blood and tissues
Cut Earthworms Regenerate into Two Worms
Only the head end regrows; tail end dies
Bees Shouldn't Be Able to Fly Aerodynamically
Bees fly via complex wing mechanics, not defying aerodynamics
Sharks Never Get Cancer
Sharks develop cancer; the myth fuelled failed treatments
Giant Alligators Live in New York City Sewers
An enduring legend with no verified sightings
Daddy Longlegs Are the Most Venomous Spiders
They're not venomous or pose minimal threat
Dogs See Only in Black and White
Dogs see in colour, just with different colour sensitivity
Bulls Are Enraged by the Colour Red
Bulls are colour-blind to red; movement triggers aggression
Goldfish only live 3 seconds and have no memory
Goldfish live 10-30 years with good care; have functional memories
Touching a Toad Gives You Warts
Toads have bumpy skin, but they don't cause warts
If You Touch a Baby Bird the Mother Will Reject It
Most bird parents won't reject chicks due to human touch
Goldfish Have a Three-Second Memory (Can't Remember Anything)
Goldfish can remember for months and recognise their owners
Daddy Longlegs Spiders Are the Most Venomous But Their Fangs Can't Pierce Skin
Daddy longlegs aren't spiders, and they're harmless regardless
You Eat Eight Spiders While Sleeping Every Year
You eat virtually no spiders; they avoid sleeping humans
All dinosaurs went completely extinct 66 million years ago
Birds are dinosaurs, they never went extinct, just evolved
Acquired Traits Are Inherited
Lamarckism was replaced by Mendelian genetics
Daddy Long Legs Are the Most Venomous Spider in Australia But Can't Bite Humans
This dual myth is false, daddy long legs are not particularly venomous and their fangs can pierce skin
Redback Spiders Are Australia's Deadliest Spider
Redbacks haven't caused a death since antivenom was introduced in 1956; funnel-webs are far more dangerous
All Australian Animals Are Trying to Kill You
The vast majority of Australian fauna is harmless; dangerous species are statistically rare
Australia 'Lost a War' Against Emus
The 1932 'Emu War' was more complex than the meme suggests, not a clear loss
Koalas Are a Type of Bear
They are marsupials; calling them 'koala bears' has never been right
Mice Love Cheese More Than Any Other Food
Mice prefer grains and sweets; cheese is mediocre bait
Wolf Packs Are Ruled by an 'Alpha' Who Fought His Way to the Top
Wild packs are families led by the parents; the alpha idea came from captive wolves
A Dog's Mouth Is Cleaner Than a Human's
It is just differently dirty; the bacteria are mostly different, not fewer
One Dog Year Equals Seven Human Years
Ageing is steep early then slows; the flat times-seven rule is wrong
You Should Pee on a Jellyfish Sting
Urine can make it worse; rinse and treat it properly instead
Dolphins Are the Smartest Animals
Intelligence varies by measures; many animals show remarkable cognition
Hummingbirds Migrate by Hitching Rides on Geese
Hummingbirds migrate independently using their own remarkable flight
Eucalyptus Makes Koalas Sleepy
Koalas sleep due to low-nutrition diet; eucalyptus toxins are metabolized
Snakes Unhinge Their Jaws to Swallow Prey
Snakes don't unhinge; their jaw bones are loosely connected allowing extreme stretching
Penguins Wear Tuxedos Complete with Knees
Penguin anatomy includes hidden legs
Touching Baby Birds Causes Parental Rejection
Most birds have a poor sense of smell
Bats Are Blind and Must Use Echolocation
Bats have functional eyes and use vision too
Lemmings Commit Mass Suicide in Synchronized Fashion
Disney created fake footage for a 1958 documentary
Pterodactyls were dinosaurs
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles but not dinosaurs, a distinct group
Plesiosaurs were dinosaurs
Plesiosaurs were marine reptiles, a separate group from dinosaurs
Whales Are Fish, Not Mammals
Linnaeus reclassified whales as mammals; Britannica's early editions lagged behind
Sea Serpents and Leviathans Are Real Creatures Inhabiting Unknown Ocean Depths
Sea serpent sightings reflected misidentification; no conclusive evidence supports their existence
British Scientists Initially Thought the Platypus Was a Hoax
Platypus specimens did puzzle European naturalists who found them anomalous, though calling it a 'hoax' is exaggerated
Kangaroos Physically Cannot Walk Backwards
They can. They don't usually. There's a difference.
Owls Can Turn Their Heads All the Way Around
Impressive, but it is about 270 degrees, not a full circle
Penguins Mate for Life
Most are loyal for a season, then play the field next year
Elephants Are Terrified of Mice
There is no good evidence; they are wary of sudden movement, not rodents
Sloths Are Lazy and Sleep Most of the Day
They move slowly to survive on leaves, and sleep less than the myth claims
Giant Pandas Have Opposable Thumbs Like Us
Their 'thumb' is a modified wrist bone, not a real digit
Pit Bulls Have Special Jaws That Lock Shut
No dog has a locking mechanism; their jaw anatomy is ordinary
Dogs Don't Sweat, They Only Pant
Panting is their main cooling, but they do sweat through their paws
Goldfish Only Grow to the Size of Their Tank
A small bowl stunts them through stress and bad water, not natural sizing
A Duck's Quack Doesn't Echo
It does; the echo is just hard to pick out, and acousticians tested it
If a Snake Bites You, Cut the Wound and Suck the Venom Out
It removes almost no venom and can make things worse; stay still and get help
Toucan Beaks Are Heavy and Unbalanced
Toucan beaks are lightweight despite their size
Catfish Whiskers Are for Taste
Whiskers (barbels) are sensory organs but not for taste
Birds Navigate Using Iron Deposits in Their Beaks
Birds likely use quantum entanglement in cryptochromes; mechanism still debated
Ostriches Can Outrun Vehicles
Ostriches reach 45 mph; cars are typically faster
Electric Eels Generate Electricity Underwater
Electric eels do generate electricity but freshwater complicates it
Penguins have knees and can walk on land
True fact often circulated as a surprising discovery
Megalodon sharks lived at the same time as dinosaurs
Megalodon emerged 20+ million years after dinosaurs went extinct
All large Mesozoic animals were dinosaurs
Pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, and mammoths were not dinosaurs
Barnacle Geese Grow from Barnacles Attached to Trees and Ships
Barnacle geese are ordinary birds; they breed in the Arctic, not from shellfish
Salamanders Can Live in Fire Without Being Consumed
Salamanders are amphibians; the myth originated from exposure recovery behaviour
Bunyips Are Purely Mythical
Aboriginal warnings about water-dwelling creatures match patterns colonial naturalists treated as folklore and modern palaeontology calls megafauna memory
Centipedes Have Exactly 100 Legs
The name promises 100, but they almost never have exactly that
Opossums Sleep Hanging Upside Down by Their Tails
Adults are far too heavy; the tail is a steadying aid, not a hammock
Houseflies Only Live for 24 Hours
Adult houseflies usually live two to four weeks
Earwigs Crawl Into Your Ear and Burrow Into Your Brain
They have no interest in your ears, and the name is just an old superstition
Previous Mates Influence Offspring
Telegony was disproven by genetics
Migratory Birds Hibernate in Lakes and Rivers During Winter
Birds migrate to distant breeding grounds; hibernation is rare in avifauna