False myths about animals that we have always believed

We have always heard this expression: that to “translate” the life of a dog in human terms , each year of the canine’s life had to be multiplied by 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. Generally, as recently it estimated the Association of VeterinariansIn 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.

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. Numerous tests have been done 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.

This image has been with us since childhood, especially because several drawings cartoons , 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.

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, when putting their stinger into the thick human skin, split them 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.

In Spain, when we sweat the fat drop , the expression “sweating like a chicken” is often 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 sweat all day, due to the appearance that their skin takes on the outside steam, but in reality, these animals do not sweat. They have sweat glands , but not so many as to make their bodies look wet.

This is one of the myths most taken as true by many people. This began to be said because, if we observe how a bat flies , they seem confused, as if they do not know where they are going. But in reality, not only do they not have vision problems, but they manage 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 warns them of obstacles . In fact, the American Veterinary Association claims that certain types of bats are capable of seeing three times better than humans.

Cartoons (like the mythical Tom and Jerry or the Disney adaptation of “Cinderella”) made several generations believe that mice die for a piece of cheese. But in reality it is not at all the preferred dish of these rodents, due to its odor and greasy appearance. The taste of mice is much simpler: none would choose cheese if they can eat cereals or fruits first.

Another false myth inherited from animal drawings and from that image of a kitten drinking milk from 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 to its stomach soon after.

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 intestines of the animal . It is the efficiency of these organs that allows them to save their own water and not become dehydrated.

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