Today, in an age of an unlimited flow of information and a large number of conjectures and inventions, it is often difficult to separate myths from reality. We have tried to clear up some common misconceptions once and for all.
Why does everyone think that an ostrich buries its head in the sand?
This legend dates back to the times of the Roman Empire, when it was believed that ostriches were hiding from danger not just anywhere, but in the sand. Since then, the metaphorical expression “to bury your head in the sand” has gone on. I must say that it has become popular not only in Russia, but also in the UK and a number of other countries.
In fact, in case of danger, ostriches do what anyone in their place would do, whose limbs can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour - they run away.
How did the famous sand myth come about?
The fact is that ostriches actually lean towards the sand, but not to bury their heads there, but … to eat it. They ingest sand and pebbles to aid in grinding tough food in the stomach.
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Is it true that bats are blind?
Traditionally, bats are believed to be blind. This is not true.
Yes, they really have very narrow eyes that are not needed for movement at night. But bats use their eyes during the day. It only seems that the animals are sleeping during the day. In fact, during daylight hours, they also move, but so that people cannot see them.
Bats, by the way, not only see well, but also hear excellently. Their hypertrophied ears are capable of receiving ultrasound at great distances.
Who said that 1 year of a "dog's" life is equal to 7 years of human life?
This is a pure invention. It's just that some scientists have calculated the average life expectancy of a person and a dog and derived this proportion. The average human life span is 66 years. The dog is about 7 years old. So it turns out that our tailed friends have a year for seven. But again, these numbers are relative.
For example, a Japanese person lives for about 80 years, while a representative of Swaziland - no more than 40. The difference is enormous. A similar situation in dogs: it is believed that the larger the animal, the less it lives. For example, the Irish Watchdog Sheepdog lives on average about 6 years, while the Miniature Poodle can live up to 14 years without any problems. It turns out that in some highly developed country a Doberman will live about 20 lives, and somewhere in Zimbabwe a lapdog will live no more than 2 lives.
Are lazy sloths that much?
In captivity, sloths sleep about 16 hours a day, in the wild - about ten, and the remaining 14 hours lead a fairly mobile lifestyle. Why are these animals more active in the wild than in the zoo? Most likely due to the fact that they do not have to worry about food and defend their own territory in front of other sloths.
By the way, sloths sleep much less pythons, which spend about 18 hours immobile, but much more giraffes. These long-necked animals need about 150 minutes to recover.
Eleni Serventis
