Animal Myths

In my last post about composting, Raggs wondered if it was true that a worm would survive being cut in half (apparently not). That got me thinking about other animal myths.


Frightened ostriches bury their heads in the sand

Not true. This myth may have started because, from a distance, it's difficult to see their tiny heads as they peck at the dirt.


Touching toads will give you warts

Although the toads may have bumps, touching them will not cause a breakout of warts. This reminds me of two things:

1) When my mom was a little girl, she was told if she buried a cut potato in her yard, her wart would disappear. Amazingly, this advice turned out to be false.

2) If you get the opportunity, watch the hilarious Australian "documentary" Cane Toads: An Unnatural History. It details, in comedic fashion, what can happen when an unnatural animal is introduced into a new environment.


Bats are blind

Strike "blind as a bat" from your vocabulary -- not only do bats have exceptional hearing, they can also see.


Black cats bring bad luck

I have no idea how this superstition began, but I do know that my local pet adoption centre won't sell any black cats in the weeks preceding Halloween. I don't even like to think of the reasons why they have to take this precaution.


By the way, that's a picture of my cat, Meeko.