5 Common Animal Myths Debunked

You’ve probably heard of myths and stories about certain animals that you most likely believe in. these myths are commonly just made up and don’t really hold any actual grounds. Here are a few of the most common animal myths and the truth behind them.

Spiders and Eggs

They say that there’s always a spider within three feet from you and it wants to lay its eggs in you. Spiders give a lot of people the chills, with their hairy legs and their scary fangs. However, there’s really no scientific basis on the three feet radius or that they want to lay eggs in you. Yes, spiders are everywhere. In fact it’s likely that you have a few of them in your home.  But they’re mostly harmless. They’d rather keep away from humans and lay their eggs somewhere far from human activity.

Bats and Hair

There’s a common myth that bats have a tendency to want to get into your hair or are attracted to hair, which is why they often fly over you, close to your head. The truth is, bats are really great flyers. They use echoes to dodge things in the dark as they fly, so it’s unlikely for them to actually end up getting tangled in your hair.

Turkeys and Intelligence

A number of people believe that turkeys are too mentally slow that you should never leave them outside when it’s raining because they might end up drowning in the rain. In reality, turkeys are really not that mentally challenged and will often do fine in with their cognitive performance. They look a little dull because of how they often tilt their heads back, giving them a goofy look.

Praying Mantises and Deadly Mating Ritual

The animal world is filled with strange mating rituals, and it’s said that Praying Mantises have the deadliest ritual around. Female mantises apparently eat their mate or bite his head off after sex. Many scientist and researchers have spent a lot of time studying this myth and concluded that out of 69 pairs, only one cases ended up with the female eating the male because she was hungry. Since mantises are known to be cannibalistic, then it’s not a shock that they’d eat their own when they’re famished.

Goldfishes and Memory

+Lastly, there’s a common belief that goldfishes only have memories that last for about 3 seconds. These common house pets simply spend the rest of their lives swimming around the aquarium, worried about nothing. This myth was debunked when researchers proved that fish are able to remember things for more than 5 months.