Guest Post: Animal Myths Busted! (part 2)

 Estelle Page is a blogger at www.gkbcinc.com, , and she’s on a mission to prove that everything we know about animals is a lie! Well, okay, just some of it...

This is Part Two of a post published June 6, 2012.

 5 More Infamous Animal Myths

Image: AJ Cann

 Making up facts about animals seems to be one of our favourite pastimes.

The internet is swarming with so called ‘animal facts’ and it seems that there’s no shortage of misinformed animal lovers. This list sets out to reverse some of this bad work and set the record straight.

Read on for a few more daft suggestions that have been made about our animal friends.

1. Rats are ‘orrible and dirty

No, actually it all depends on the rat.
If the rat lives in a sewer, then yes, the rat is probably quite dirty. Generally speaking though, rats spend around 60% of their lives cleaning themselves. This means they only have 40% of their time to do other things, such as become dirty again.

2. Goldfish have a three second memory

One of my all time favourite incorrect animal myths is the memory capacity of a Goldfish.

In actual fact, Goldfish have quite good memories – they’ve proved they can be taught how to navigate a maze.

Sadly, many still have to live in a fish bowl with a miniature castle.

I’m not sure whose idea it was to associate Goldfish with underwater replicas of English middle aged fortifications, but it definitely seems to have caught on...

Image: Rennett Stowe

3. Koalas are bears

Koalas are a type of marsupial, not a kind of bear.

They are furry like bears, but that’s where the similarities end. English settlers have been awarded the responsibility of awarding the koala bear its incorrect label.

But English settlers gave quite a few pretty peculiar names around this time so maybe it was a trend back then.

4. Worms will regenerate

This is the type of thing your primary school teacher tells you and you believe for life, and you’ll end up passing this (incorrect) vital information down to your children:

“If you cut a worm in half, then the two halves will regenerate and continue to live as two separate worms.”

This is just not true.

Earthworms are biologically complex like other species. They have all the internal body systems that make up most other living organisms i.e. brains, digestive systems....the lot.

You wouldn’t cut a dolphin in half to see if it survived, would you?

My suggestions is to use the appropriate pest control supplies UK instead of waging war on the garden critters by punishing them through death.

You might also be interested to learn that a mole survives on a diet of only earthworms, so you could already have some help there if moles are a garden feature of yours.

Unless it’s the pesky moles that are the problem, in which case you might want to save the worms and invest in some sonic mole repeller instead.

Image: Suwaif

5. Camels store water in their humps

Let’s get this straight - a camel is not a live, walking hip flask.

A camel’s hump contains fat reserves providing the animal with the same amount of energy as three weeks of food do, so they’re more like packet lunch boxes than water bottles.

For animals, desert survival is about the preservation of water and nutrients within their bodies rather than actual storage for when they get a bit bored.

So, there you have your 5 more animal myths blown out of the water.

Your task is now to find some more to add to my list...

In the eye

Camels are seen during the Mazayen al-Ibl competition, which seeks to find the most beautiful camel, in the desert region of Um Rgheiba, 400 km (248 miles) from Riyadh January 15, 2012.

Source

Because the women are covered

Ten thousand camels will be fluttering their long eyelashes in a unique international beauty pageant being held in the United Arab Emirates. The contest in Abu Dhabi is one of the richest and biggest events of its kind, with more than $9m and 100 cars in prizes up for grabs. A panel of expert camel appreciators will choose the best animals for each age group. Entry is open to anyone who can prove ownership of a pedigree camel, and the animals must be free from contagious diseases, and without any serious defects. Source: BBC News

Saudi cleric condemns camel beauty contests as evil

A leading authority of Saudi Arabia's hardline school of Islam has condemned camel beauty contests as evil, saying those involved should seek repentance in God. Camel pageants have become major events in the desert kingdom in recent years as tribes hold ever larger competitions, with bigger prizes and wider publicity. Delicate females or strapping males which attract the right attention during a show can sell for more than a million riyals (127,000 pounds). Sponsors spent 10 million riyals on prizes for one competition this year. (via)

Pet camel kills Australian woman

A woman in Australia has been killed by her pet camel after the animal may have tried to have sex with her. The woman was found dead at the family's sheep and cattle ranch near the town of Mitchell in Queensland. The woman had been given the camel as a 60th birthday present earlier this year because of her love of exotic pets.

Exotic Animal Farm Owner Dies After 1,800-Pound Camel Sits on Her

WEWAHITCHKA, Fla. — The owner of an exotic animal farm has died after being kicked and then sat on by a 1,800-pound camel. Cathie Ake and the 4-year-old camel were being filmed by a local television station on Sunday when the camel kicked her and sat on her during a break in filming. The station was doing a story on Mini-Akers Exotic Animals, the farm Ake owned with her husband. Ake's husband, Donnie Ake, said he thinks Polo, the camel, was agitated by mating season. He said he would find a new home for Polo, which they bought three weeks ago, The News Herald of Panama City reported Tuesday.