Is What They Tell Us True?: Myths and Stereotypes About Animals
BEWARE boar wild A BEWARE A wild bat BEWARE A fox BEWARE A wild snake WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS Ignorance is no excuse People used to think that chameleons change their color depending on their surroundings Now we know that this isn’t exactly true When chameleons are calm they’re green or brownish and blend with their environment better The way they change color depends mainly on their mood emotions and situation Therefore you shouldn’t expect a chameleon to change color as soon as you put it somewhere new WHY DON'T YOU CHANGE Don’t judge a book by its cover People often unjustly assign characteristics to animals that aren’t particularly flattering According to them snakes are slimy foxes sly and sharks life-threatening What did these animals do to deserve this Let’s take a look around forests savannas and waterways to find out what’s behind all this 2
Don't assume Some characteristics were assigned to animals more or less by mistake All it takes is one look and reality can appear in quite a different light Ostriches stick their heads in the sand you say Not at all What do you think that opossums spent the whole day hanging from tree branches by their tail The young can manage it for a while but adults use their tail to maintain balance on short branches What our ancestors believed Distorted ideas about animals can have a long tradition For example some of our ancestors believed that when an owl especially a little owl hoots it ushers in danger Who doesn’t get a fright at night right However there’s no reason to believe these superstitions as they mostly don’t have even a kernel of truth in them Opossum by its tail hangi Don’t believe everything you see You’ve certainly read a fairy tale or seen a movie that showed certain animals as evil creatures Let’s take the wolf for example He threatened not only Little Red Riding Hood but the three little pigs as well What we need to realize though is that such a depiction and reality may be miles apart BOO People were afraid of them Very often people used to associate certain animals such as bats and black cats with dark forces Naturally this caused fear These animals were considered to be helpers of witches vampires and many forces of evil Fear of such animals is ingrained so deep that some people are afraid of them to this very day That is a pity because these are some very interesting creatures that definitely don’t deserve the bad reputation they have 3
Myth No 1 Bat BLOODTHIRSTY VAMPIRE Bloodthirsty vampires Flying mice Disease carriers Signs of evil That’s what usually comes to mind when someone mentions bats But what if those things aren’t entirely true Let’s take a closer look at these critters Surely you’ll realize soon that there’s nothing to be afraid of ARE YOU CRAZY ALL IT TAKES IS ONE LOOK Bats are blind Bats have tiny eyes but are by no means blind For example fruit bats a large type of bat use sight to maintain their orientation while flying Furthermore bats are equipped with echolocation they send out invisible waves These reflect from subjects ahead and return to the bats The echo lets bats know there’s an obstacle in front of them and allows them to avoid it in a blink of an eye Or eat it if they’re so inclined Echolocation 4 Bats tangle in people’s hair People used to believe that bats will tangle into a woman’s long hair if the woman has a guilty conscience They then lead the person to a witch or demon However this is just a folk tale Thanks to their ultrasound bats can recognize such small obstacles that it’s impossible for them to get tangled in anyone’s hair On the contrary you can be sure they’ll give you a wide berth
BOY DID I HAVE A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP TONIGHT WELL TIME TO HAVE SOME INSECTS FOR BREAKFAST Bats suck people’s blood People imagine bats as bloodthirsty creatures that suck their blood It’s true that a certain kind of bat lives off blood However it poses little harm to humans as it has a soft spot for animal blood You can now sleep more peacefully knowing that there are only three bat species that do this out of more than 1,300 that inhabit Earth Furthermore they can be encountered only in South and Central America Bat a sign of evil In many cultures bats are considered a sign of evil and associated with witches demons and other forces This is mainly because bats are nocturnal animals and people have always been afraid of the dark However in some countries such as China they’re viewed as a symbol of luck In fact the character used to name them fu is the same as the one that denotes luck NO WAY YOU CAN FLY LIKE I DO Bats are flying mice Wrong Bats are the only mammals that can fly they have very little in common with mice Their membranous wings enable them to fly quickly and deftly Because the wings are flexible bats not only can perform various maneuvers and quickly swerve while flying but also reverse EVERYBODY’S EYES WILL BE POPPING OUT WHEN THEY SEE WHAT I’M GOING AS FOR HALLOWEEN Bats are pests Bats are immensely useful animals They fly and hunt at night when most other creatures are deeply asleep Well there are some exceptions like annoying buzzing mosquitoes Most bats catch pesky insects and other pests Certain tropical bats even pollinate flowers and allow you to enjoy avocados mangoes or bananas That’s why it’s important to protect them pest insects Bats help control 5
