Animal myth-busters

Blind bats and raging bulls: Debunking 10 common myths about wild animals

Credit: Carlos Torres

Wild animals have long captivated our imaginations (and often even fuel our nightmares), but our understanding of them is frequently clouded by myths and misconceptions. Despite the abundance of information available today, several myths about wild animal behavior persist, often stemming from misunderstandings, cultural beliefs, or sensationalized media. From suicidal lemmings to head-burrowing ostriches, it’s time to separate fact from fiction to honor our wild friends. Here are 10 common myths about wild animals that need urgent debunking.

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Contrary to popular belief, bats aren't blind at all! They can see quite well, though their vision varies by species. In fact, some bats have excellent night vision, which they use in combination with echolocation to navigate in what we might consider pitch-black conditions.

Although the saying "blind as a bat" is inaccurate, these nocturnal creatures do rely heavily on sound waves through their sophisticated auditory system. Their eyesight, however, assists them in locating food and avoiding obstacles, making them formidable hunters of the night.

Credit: Gerald Schömbs

While sharks have an exceptional sense of smell, the idea that they can detect a drop of blood from miles away is an exaggeration. Although they are highly efficient predators, they are not infallible bloodhounds. Sharks can actually sense blood at concentrations as low as one part per million, but this still requires them to be relatively close to the source.

Their olfactory prowess is influenced by water currents, turbulence, and other environmental factors that can affect how far and accurately they can detect scents. Additionally, while their sense of smell is incredibly keen, it is just one of several senses sharks use to hunt, along with their acute hearing and electroreception capabilities.

Credit: Wolfgang Hasselmann

Ostriches don't bury their heads in the sand to avoid danger. Curiously, this myth seems to have originated in ancient Rome (talk about a pervasive misconception!), and is often used as a metaphor for someone avoiding their problems.

The myth likely stems from their behavior of lowering their heads to the ground to eat or to check on their eggs, which can give the appearance of burying their heads. When actually threatened, ostriches either run at high speeds—up to 45 miles per hour—or lie flat on the ground to blend into their surroundings and avoid detection.

Credit: Rachel Hisko

If you ever thought this idea sounded a bit fishy, you were in the right. Although this myth has been debunked several times over, it still somehow persists, likely due to the influence of exaggerated media.

In reality, research has shown that fish have amazing learning abilities—sometimes even surpassing those of primates! They can be trained to recognize colors, shapes, and even perform complex tricks, retaining information for months or years on end. And this makes a lot of sense because, how else could they survive in the often treacherous and intricate world of aquatic environments?

Credit: Steven Su

Sorry to break it to you, but camels don't actually store water in their humps. In reality, their iconic humps are reservoirs of fatty tissue, which camels use as an energy source when food is scarce. They do, however, store water in their bloodstream, allowing them to go long periods without drinking.

The misconception arises from camels’ remarkable ability to survive in arid environments, but it’s their efficient water management, not hump storage, that allows them to endure the harsh desert conditions.

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Bulls not only do not hate the color red, but they are also actually colorblind to it! The myth that bulls charge at the color red likely stems from traditional bullfighting. In reality, it is the matador’s movements, not the color of the cape, that provoke the bull to attack.

Bulls are reactive to motion rather than color. Their vision is similar to that of a person with red-green color blindness, meaning they cannot distinguish red from green. So, next time you're near a bull, don’t worry about the color of your shirt—just avoid sudden movements or attempts to scare the animal.

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Birds generally don't abandon their chicks if touched by humans. In fact, most birds have a limited sense of smell, so they won't detect human scent on their offspring. That being said, it’s often best to leave baby birds alone. While birds won’t abandon their young solely due to human touch, they might do so in response to disturbance.

If they feel threatened, they may attempt to relocate their offspring to a new nesting site. Some more risk-averse species, such as hawks, might actually abandon their nest if they feel sufficiently threatened. However, in most cases, birds will not readily abandon their young after a minor disturbance.

Credit: Sofia Rotaru

Piranhas have a fearsome reputation, but they aren't the man-eating monsters depicted in movies. While they do have sharp teeth and a powerful bite, piranhas are generally scavengers and rarely attack humans. Curiously, part of the blame for their exaggerated reputation lies with President Theodore Roosevelt, who, after a trip to the Amazon, described them as the "most ferocious fish in the world."

In reality, piranhas are far from being exclusive carnivores. Most species have a diet primarily consisting of plants and small insects. Their infamous feeding frenzies and occasional attacks on humans are usually triggered by extreme conditions and hunger, not an inherent appetite for flesh.

Credit: Walter Frehner

Lemmings are small rodents usually found in Arctic biomes, infamous for their alleged suicidal tendencies—and penchant for tall cliffs, apparently. However, the idea that lemmings commit mass suicide by leaping off cliffs is a myth, in part popularized by the 1958 Disney documentary White Wilderness.

Like many rodents, lemmings experience periodic population booms and migrate in large numbers. These unexplained fluctuations in their populations likely contributed to the myth of mass suicide, which has since become a metaphor for mindless group behavior.

Credit: Daniele Levis Pelusi

While bears do enter a state of deep sleep during winter, they don’t hibernate in the traditional sense. True hibernators, like ground squirrels, lower their body temperature drastically, but bears only reduce theirs slightly and can wake up easily.

This semi-hibernation, called torpor, allows bears to conserve energy while still being alert to danger. However, during this state bears can go without eating, drinking, urinating, or defecating for months, relying solely on their fat reserves to survive the winter.

A MEAL FOR YOUR BRAIN

Did You Know These 10 Mouth-Watering Idioms Related To Food?

Credit: Frank Holleman

A cookbook isn't the only type of book that can make you hungry: We guarantee that at least one of the ten idioms on this list will make your stomach rumble. While you might expect these idioms to mostly involve eating, they prove that food is an incredibly versatile linguistic resource.

These are ten of the most interesting and down-right baffling food-related idioms we could find. Looking for something fun to say at the dinner table? Keep on reading and enjoy!

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We’ll start with one of the most baffling ones. In case you are not familiar with this idiom, to "bring home the bacon" means to be the top earner in a society or organization, whether in your job or family. Why this particular cut of pork symbolizes earning a decent living remains a mystery.

The origins of this idiom are not completely clear. Many state that it comes from an English tradition that dates back to at least the 12th century, on which a local couple was awarded a flinch of bacon for their devotion. However, most historians agree its modern use comes from a 1906 boxing match between Joe Gans and ‘Battling’ Oliver Nelson: Before the match, Gans' mother sent him a telegram urging him to win the fight and "bring home the bacon".

Credit: Fa Barboza

This one is rather self-explanatory. One of the defining features of a good pancake (which applies to pretty much all pancakes, given how delicious they are) is its flatness. After all, one of the most enjoyable things to do with a plate of pancakes is to stack them on top of each other before eating a massive multi-layered piece.

In that sense, since this idiom’s meaning is abundantly clear, it is particularly hard to trace back its origins. Most linguists agree it arose simply from common usage, owing to the widespread popularity of pancakes as a breakfast choice.

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The first derogatory idiom in this list, this phrase is typically uttered by disgruntled mothers complaining about their teenager’s lack of physical activity. If you happened to enjoy lazing on a Sunday afternoon indoors watching your favorite movie, then you were at risk of being called a "couch potato" by discontented parents.

This idiom is closely associated with excessive television watching. One possible origin can be traced to a 1979 article published in the LA Times, which talked about "Couch Potatoes who will be lying on couches watching television". Another theory states that the first appearance of this idiom was in a '70s comic book about two anthropomorphized potatoes lazying on a couch.

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You might think being called "cheesy" would be as derogatory as being labeled a "couch potato", but let’s face it: There’s something charming about a particularly corny, cheesy one-liner. The term 'cheesy' describes anything that is overly sappy or romantic, to the point of being either extremely off-putting or weirdly endearing.

The origins of this idiom are obscure. While we don’t have a definitive answer, some believe that it comes from the 20th century, in which cheap or tacky things were considered appalling and shocking, in the same way that some types of cheese have unpleasant odors.

Credit: Wouter Supardi Salari

This idiom sounds slightly goofy, doesn’t it? Especially when you consider its meaning, which refers to something particularly difficult to understand or solve. For example, let’s say that Sherlock Holmes leaned over a trail of notes and, after taking a long drag from his pipe, said "This is a hard nut to crack." Don’t you feel this would make the image of the world’s most famous detective a little sillier?

But the truth is, this idiom makes perfect sense: Some nuts are particularly hard to crack open. In that sense, the origins of this idiom seem only logical and are rather hard to trace. However, some believe that the first recorded use of this phrase comes from none other than Benjamin Franklin: Apparently, this Founding Father used it in a letter written in 1755.

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Have you ever had some chocolate chip cookies and thought "These are the brainiest and wittiest snacks I ever had"? Of course, you haven’t- no one has. While delicious, cookies are not particularly known for being smart (And for that matter, no food is known for its intelligence), so the origins of the idiom "one smart cookie" are not as clear-cut as we would like.

However, while we can’t give you a definitive answer, most linguists agree that this idiom comes from America during "the Roaring Twenties". According to this theory, the term "cookie" was used to describe someone particularly delightful and sweet, as you would expect from this sugary snack. Therefore, a smart cookie is someone who is not only appealing and lovely, but who also shines through its intelligence.

Credit: Luke Pennystan

Is it really surprising that pancakes made it to this list twice? They are the quintessential breakfast comfort food and have evolved into an American cultural icon. Bearing that in mind, this next idiom perfectly capitalizes on pancakes' popularity: Whenever something is extremely successful and profitable, you can say it is "selling like hot cakes".

Apparently, this idiom comes from church bake sales: Known as "hot cakes" or "Johnny cakes", these pancakes sold extremely fast since they were much better eaten hot. This phrase can be traced back to at least the 1830s when it was used in an article published in The Buffalo Bulletin.

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This one seems to come straight from the world of "Snow White". This fairy tale princess is not the only one who should be wary of apples, at least according to this idiom. You might be surprised to learn that the phrase "one bad apple" is actually an abridged version of another idiom, which states "One bad apple spoils the whole barrel".

This is rather interesting because, in modern times, this idiom is used to signify that the actions of a single individual don’t reflect the actions of the rest: A single "bad apple" is not a faithful representative. However, what’s curious is that this idiom’s original intent seems to suggest the exact opposite, and it rather describes how someone’s bad behavior can influence everyone in a group.

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This idiom is a rather roundabout way to suggest that someone is pregnant. The imagery is quite clear: In this picture, the "bun" represents the baby growing metaphorically in the "oven" that is a woman’s womb. Should you want to tell someone about a pregnancy while avoiding the ears of a noisy child listening, this phrase is perfect for you.

Curiously, the very first recorded use of this idiom comes from literature. In his 1951 novel The Cruel Sea, British author Nicholas Monserrat uses this phrase to describe the pregnancy of a sailor’s wife.

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We’ll end with what we believe to be the most interesting origin story in this list. The idiom "to butter someone up" means to flatter and treat someone nicely, often with an ulterior motive. At first glance this phrase is utterly flabbergasting: How could covering someone with this greasy milk product award you anything but their contempt? However, many historians suggest it might actually originate from an ancient Indian custom.

According to this theory, many believers throw balls of ghee (a type of clarified butter used in Indian cooking) at the statues of Hindu gods to gain their favor. While this origin has not been completely confirmed, it appears this literal act may have inspired the popular idiom.