Up next in 10
Cows DON'T have four stomachs, toads CAN'T give you warts, and pigs DON'T sweat a lot. Yeesh, that's a lot of negatives. But those are just three of dozens of misunderstood facts about animals we're going to be sharing today. From dogs to ostriches to lemmings, let's get into it. Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/@MentalFloss?sub_confirmation=1 About Mental Floss: Mental Floss is where curious people come for trivia-tastic information. Mental Floss produces lists of fun facts, debunks common misconceptions, and tells untold stories from history, science, culture and more. Website: http://www.mentalfloss.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mental_floss Facebook: https://facebook.com/mentalflossmagazine Discord: https://discord.io/mentalfloss Copyright Notice: This video and YouTube channel contain dialog, music, and images that are property of Mental Floss. You are authorized to share the video link and channel, and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to this YouTube Channel is provided. 2025 Mental Floss Misconceptions About 64 Different Animals | Mental Floss https://www.youtube.com/@MentalFloss
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Despite every cartoon of the massive bird you've ever seen, ostriches do not bury their heads to avoid danger
0:06
If they sense trouble and can't run to safety, ostriches actually hit the ground and stay motionless
0:11
So where did the myth come from? Ostriches dig holes into the sand for their nests, and when they lower their head to turn the eggs in the nest
0:18
it appears as if they're hiding their noggin. Hi, I'm Justin Dodd. Welcome to Misconceptions
0:24
Today, we're debunking one myth about dozens of animals, large and small
0:28
from the idea that cows have four stomachs to a lemming myth that got an assist from some highly unethical filmmaking
0:36
Let's get started. Toads give you warts
0:48
Toads may look like they need a good dermatologist, but there's no need to worry
0:52
They cannot pass any skin conditions to you. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, keyword human
0:59
A wart's lumpy appearance is due to epidermal cells multiplying as a result of the virus
1:04
Warts can spread based on skin-to-skin contact, but not toad skin. While we're at it, let's debunk another one
1:10
Frog or toad urine can't give you warts either. Bulls can't see red
1:17
Call this one a meta-misconception. Lots of websites will tell you that cattle are colorblind
1:22
and therefore, despite the common belief that red enrages bulls, the choice of color for a matador's cape is actually arbitrary
1:30
I can't speak to a bull's interior emotional state or the exact reasoning behind that Toreador tradition
1:35
but I can tell you that part of this would-be misconception gets the facts wrong
1:40
As Scientific American put it, "...perceptual measurements indicate that cattle can discriminate red from green and blue, but not green and blue from each other.
1:49
And though bulls were indeed shown to charge at all sorts of moving objects in one study
1:53
they did so more forcefully when the object in question was a warm color
1:58
The idea that bullfighters choose crimson-colored capes to better hide bloodstains is
2:03
unfortunately, quite plausible. But that doesn't mean that a red and blue cape would be equivalent in the eyes of a bull
2:09
Armadillos curl up into balls and roll away from predators. Only two species of armadillo, the Brazilian and Southern Three-Banded Armadillos
2:18
are capable of rolling up into balls at all. And they don't do it to escape predators
2:23
They do it so their armor protects their bodies. Their armor can even act as a trap to snap clothes on predators' paws
2:30
Ironically, as a paper in the Journal of Mammology put it, the rolling into a ball facilitates its capture by humans
2:36
and increases the vulnerability of both species to hunting. Lemmings engage in mass suicide
2:43
Disney may be known for its heartwarming animal movies, but in 1958, Disney filmmakers were quite heartless to lemmings
2:51
While shooting a documentary called White Wilderness, filmmakers captured scenes of the tiny rodents leaping into the sea to their deaths
2:59
It was supposedly a harrowing look at a phenomenon known as mass lemming suicide
3:05
But that phenomenon didn't actually exist. The crew brought lemmings into a non-native habitat
3:10
then threw them off a cliff into a river, not the ocean, to capture the scenes
3:16
The truth is that lemmings do sometimes move as a herd to find more food, and when they cross bodies of water, some don't make it
3:23
But this dramatic tale, which Disney didn't invent but certainly helped solidify with its unethical filmmaking, is not an accurate representation of the adorable animals
3:34
Porcupines can shoot their quills If you happen to cross a porcupine, don't freak out. It's not going to impale you with razor-like quills from 10 feet away
3:45
Although it was once believed that the rodents could shoot out prickly projectiles, we now know otherwise
3:51
The quills detach easily when porcupines are threatened, thus why dogs and other predators
3:56
sometimes come away with a snout full of needles after a close encounter, but they don't go launching through the air
4:02
Dogs age seven years for every human year. We discussed this one in our video covering misconceptions about dogs
4:09
but it's still probably the most common misconception about canines. According to the AKC, this formula has been around since the 1950s, but it's not totally accurate
4:20
There's some speculation that the rough estimate was created to help educate people on their pets' lifespans
4:26
People at the time realized that dogs generally made it to around 10 years old, while humans lived to about 70
4:32
And then they kind of overgeneralized. These days, there are better ways to calculate dog years, but all of it depends on the size of the dog
4:40
For example, the first year of a medium-sized dog's life equals about 15 human years
4:46
Year two equals about nine years, and every year after that is roughly five years
4:51
Sloths are lazy. Sloths are notoriously slow, but don't mistake their sluggishness for laziness
4:59
Their speed is due to a low metabolic rate, which means they need to conserve energy for survival, not for kicks
5:06
Elephants are scared of mice. Research and experiments have consistently failed to show that elephants specifically
5:13
find mice threatening. When the gentle giants come nose to nose with a mouse
5:18
there's no big reaction. It's true that, just like humans, they don't particularly love it
5:23
when little things come scurrying out and take them by surprise. But if you're looking for a
5:27
little critter that sets elephants off, you might want to set your sights on ants. They seem to have
5:33
a genuinely negative reaction to the insects, perhaps because they don't want to get them up
5:38
their trunks. Cows have four stomachs. You've probably heard the myth that cows have four
5:45
stomachs since you were a kid, but it's not quite true. There are four chambers in a cow's stomach
5:51
that help it digest mass amounts of grass and greens, the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum
5:57
and the abomasum. Why the extra chambers? Well, mostly it's because grass is really hard for
6:03
mammals to get nutrients out of. Each part plays its own role in extracting sufficient nutrition
6:08
from the not particularly nourishing diet. But while the process is very different from how the
6:13
human stomach works, it does take place in a single stomach, with some cud chewing along the way
6:20
Pigs sweat a lot. You might want to rethink the phrase sweat like a pig before you say it again
6:26
because pigs don't sweat that much. It's part of the reason they roll around in the mud
6:31
since they don't enjoy the cooling properties of perspiration. Turtles don't feel their shells
6:37
It should go without saying, but humans shouldn't be carving or painting turtles' tough exteriors
6:43
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, turtles turn up with spray-painted shells on a fairly regular basis
6:50
which can prevent them from getting the vitamins they need and even lead to chemicals seeping into their bloodstream
6:56
The top layer of most turtle shells is made of keratin, like our fingernails
6:59
And just as we experience pain when something happens to our fingernails
7:03
even the mere thought of bending one back too far makes me, yeah, so do turtles feel pain in their shells
7:10
In fact, because their shells are fused to their spines and rib cages
7:14
turtles experience even more sensation via the shell. Most moths eat clothes
7:20
Out of all the moth species out there, only a handful eat fabric
7:24
Most of the time the culprit is either the case clothes moth or the webbing clothes moth And even then it not actually a case of adult moths fluttering in to snack on your sweaters It their larvae
7:36
Moth babies love snacking on clothes made from animal products such as wool and leather
7:41
Birds abandon their babies if you touch them. Birds are better parents than this myth gives them credit for
7:48
They won't leave their young if a human touches the nest. If you happen to find a baby bird, specifically a nestling, that has fallen
7:56
the best thing you can do is place it back in the nest, or if you can't find it, in a safe shaded spot
8:02
Goats eat tin cans. The myth that goats will eat anything, even tin cans
8:09
probably has started because goats are such curious creatures. In a way, they're like toddlers
8:14
They get into everything, stick random objects in their mouths, and climb on things they probably shouldn't
8:19
But when it comes to food, they're actually pretty picky eaters that seek out certain types of nutrition
8:25
And that does not include metal. Flamingos are born pink. These long-legged birds are instantly recognizable by their distinctive pink feathers
8:36
But they aren't born that way. When flamingos are very young, they look like little gray balls of fluff
8:41
And they would stay storm cloud colored if it wasn't for their diet high and beta carotene
8:46
The brine shrimp, algae, and brine fly larvae that make up a flamingo's diet are all chock-full of the compound
8:53
which is known for giving pigment to plants. In the flamingo's case, it turns their feathers various shades of pink and orange
9:01
although some adults will never achieve the dazzling colors displayed by their lawn ornament counterparts
9:07
We swallow eight spiders in our sleep every year. This horrifying factoid has made the rounds for years, but we're happy, really happy
9:16
to debunk it for you. Spiders, especially the ones that tend to live in houses
9:20
are solitary creatures. They do not seek out humans, but if they did
9:24
they wouldn't stick around while we were sleeping. The vibrations we make while breathing and snoring
9:29
would likely scare them off. There's a very strong likelihood that we swallow exactly zero spiders in our sleep
9:35
You're welcome. Each lion pride has a king. Despite what the movie tells you
9:41
lions don't really have a king. Prides tend to be led by females
9:45
and it's never a single queen. Instead, lionesses form a sort of sisterhood
9:49
having babies around the same time and raising them together. Hyenas love to laugh
9:56
When hyenas make a noise that sounds like laughter to us, it's not because they find something funny
10:01
The high-pitched vocalizations they make are actually just the opposite. They generally make it when they feel threatened
10:07
or even frustrated. Of the three species of hyena, only the spotted hyena makes the giggling sound
10:13
Another misconception is that hyenas are only scavengers, making their meals from prey killed
10:19
by bigger animals like lions. In reality, hyenas are very capable hunters and kill the vast majority
10:26
of their own prey. Dodos were white and plump. Unfortunately, we have almost no concrete
10:33
knowledge of dodos because there is very little left to study. Dodos are estimated to have gone
10:38
extinct sometime in the late 1600s, and today only one complete skeleton has survived. Even that was
10:45
collected as a fossil. As Professor Leon Klesens told The Atlantic, the dodo remains that were
10:50
collected while the bird was still alive would fit in a shoebox. We do know that they were probably
10:55
black, gray, or dark brown in color because we have firsthand accounts from sailors' journals
11:01
But at some point in the 17th century, a number of Dutch painters decided to represent them as
11:06
white, and that image kind of stuck. Dodos probably weren't as stocky as they're usually depicted
11:11
either. Modern-day scientists believe the birds that were illustrated were probably captive dodos
11:17
that were overfed and not very physically active, or, in the case of taxidermine examples
11:23
overstuffed. And one more way we've been misjudging dodos for centuries, they probably were not that
11:29
dumb. In recent years, 3D modeling has shown that dodo brains were appropriately sized for their
11:34
skull and probably had intelligence similar to that of a pigeon. Pigeons are stupid. Very few
11:41
birds embody the idea of bird-brained in the popular imagination more than a pigeon. But that's
11:47
not fair or accurate. According to new scientists, pigeons can remember over a hundred images and
11:53
remember them two years later, can think abstractly, distinguish paintings, and according to one report
11:59
have better self-cognition than some three-year-old humans. Horses only sleep standing up
12:06
Horses are good at catching some Zs while standing thanks to the fact that they're able to lock their
12:11
limbs, which prevents them from falling over. But while horses may take light naps on all fours
12:16
they aren't actually entering their REM sleep. Horses are prey animals, so being able to nap
12:21
while standing allows them to quickly take off if something attacks. They'll lie down when it's
12:26
time for a deeper rest, and they don't need to stay on the ground very long. Horses spend between
12:30
five to seven hours each day resting, but they'll typically only lie down for a deep sleep when
12:35
they're able to relax in a comfortable, safe environment. Ponies are baby horses. Horses and
12:43
ponies are part of the same species, but though ponies are smaller, ponies are not baby horses
12:50
As a general rule, any member of the species that is below 14.2 hands, or 58 inches for non-horse people, is a pony, no matter how old it is
13:01
There are exceptions. Many horses are not really referred to as ponies, even though they're small enough to qualify
13:08
According to Horse Illustrated, absolutely my preferred source for everything, This is because miniature horses look like full-sized horses that have been simply shrunk
13:17
down in scale, while ponies have different proportions and other physical features
13:22
It's an inexact classification system, but there is general agreement in the world of
13:26
equine experts. The word for both a baby horse and a baby pony is full
13:33
Owls are wise. Look, we aren't saying owls are stupid, but they aren't necessarily wise
13:39
One 2013 study found that great gray owls repeatedly bombed what should have been a simple
13:45
cognitive test that simply required pulling a string to receive a treat
13:49
It's also hard to determine how wise an animal is based on human standards
13:54
They are good hunters, which you could certainly say is a form of intelligence, but it would
13:58
be incorrect to think of them as some kind of avian intelligence outlier
14:03
It's believed we view owls as wise because they were often associated with Athena, the
14:07
the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom. Wolves kill for sport. Wolves have a reputation for being big, bad hunters
14:15
who kill for fun, but all their surplus kills aren't really surplus
14:20
During particularly brutal winters, they do kill more animals than they can eat right away
14:25
but they typically will return later to finish chowing down. Basically, these so-called surplus kills
14:30
are the wolf equivalent of ordering a big meal with the intention of taking home some leftovers later
14:35
And that's not the only misconception dogs, wolves, confusing pun absolutely intended. Despite the popular saying
14:42
there's no such thing as an alpha wolf who fights his way into power. Instead
14:46
most packs are just families with the parents being the top dogs of the group
14:51
The so alpha male is simply the dad But daddy wolf doesn have quite the same ring to it Foxes hunt cats Foxes have a reputation for being sneaky but don worry they aren sneaking around your yard with the hopes of
15:05
snatching a cat to snack on. A full-grown cat is nearly as big as a fox. An adult fox usually
15:12
weighs between 7 to 15 pounds, and the average house cat weighs 10 pounds, so the canids wouldn't
15:18
likely attempt to make a meal out of your pet. Now, things might be different for kittens or
15:23
elderly cats, but in general, if a healthy adult cat and a fox did get into a scuffle
15:28
your furry friend might very well be able to defend itself. Cats don't really care about their people. If you watched our video of misconceptions about cats
15:38
you'd know that the common myth that cats don't like people simply is not true. Pet cats have a
15:44
bad reputation for being aloof and uncaring. Sure, your cat may not greet you at the door with their
15:49
tongue lolling and tail wagging, but that doesn't mean it doesn't care about you
15:53
Cats actually do get attached to their owners, and even view their humans as part of their family
15:59
If your cat headbutts you or starts kneading their paws on you before curling up in your
16:03
lap, rest assured, it means you're loved. Snakes drink milk. Back in the day, farmers often saw snakes lurking around their dairy barns and came to
16:13
the conclusion that the reptiles were stealing milk from their cows. like a bit of a leap, but I'm not here to judge. The fact is, snakes cannot digest milk. The only
16:24
thing they're interested in drinking is water. The snakes were hanging around barns because they
16:28
were hunting for rodents, not fresh milk. Polar bears rest in winter. Whether bears truly hibernate
16:36
or enter torpor is a subject too controversial for us to get into here, but we can definitely
16:40
say that polar bears in particular are active year-round. Food availability doesn't vary as
16:46
widely throughout the year for these big boys and girls, so they don't have to preserve energy in fallow periods
16:52
quite like their brown bear cousins. They actually do reduce their energy expenditure in summer
16:57
when food supplies are a little harder to come by, but it's a phenomenon that's been tellingly labeled
17:02
walking hibernation. There's really only one situation where polar bears will hull up for months at a time
17:08
and that's when a pregnant female digs her maternity den to hunker down in preparation for labor
17:14
Squirrels are herbivores. You've probably seen squirrels stashing acorns or snacking on bird seed
17:21
But those aren't the only things that rodents like to eat. Squirrels are omnivores
17:25
Yes, they eat a lot of seeds, nuts, fungi, but they also eat meat
17:30
Squirrels are incredibly opportunistic. They'll raid bird nests for eggs and baby birds
17:36
scavenge bits of roadkill, and eat insects and even small snakes if they can catch them
17:41
Hamsters only eat plants. You shouldn't feed your hamster an entirely plant-based diet
17:47
For optimal health, they actually need to eat some non-vegetarian items too
17:52
Hamsters can and should eat insects such as crickets and mealworms and can have small bits of chicken every now and then
17:59
If you ever forget that hamsters like meat, just remember that some hamster moms will even devour their own babies
18:06
Now your memory is refreshed and you're horrified. Mission accomplished. Skunk spray can be deodorized by tomato juice
18:14
A skunk can spray a target that's about 10 feet away, so make sure you give these animals plenty of distance
18:20
The spray smells so terrible because it contains sulfur compounds and the stink is so strong
18:26
that it can be smelled from about a half a mile away. If you find yourself on the wrong end of a skunk spray
18:32
your first move might be to fill your bathtub with tomato juice and just hop in
18:37
But this oft-touted remedy doesn't have any effect on the odor other than masking it
18:42
So once you no longer smell like a bowl of marinara, you'll start to notice the skunk stink again
18:48
To actually neutralize the skunk smell, use a mix of diluted hydrogen peroxide
18:52
baking soda, and dish soap. Scottish wildcats never ventured out of Scotland
18:59
Scottish wildcats once had a larger range than just the country that gives them their names
19:04
In fact, they once roamed throughout present-day Great Britain. but they've gone extinct due to human interference in all places except Scotland
19:12
Today, only a small, critically endangered population of the elusive wildcats remain in the country
19:19
Bats are blind. Yes, most bats use echolocation. They are not blind, though
19:25
Some bat species can even see better than people. Echolocation helps them navigate in super dark conditions
19:31
like in caves or out in the open air at night. It aids rather than replaces their vision
19:37
According to one study, vision was given more weight when deciding where to fly, while echolocation
19:43
was more dominant when approaching an obstacle. Black Panthers are a distinct cat species
19:49
Black Panthers obviously exist, they're just not a different species. They're actually a leopard or jaguar with a mutation in the genes related to pigmentation
19:58
For the leopard, it's a recessive gene, and for the jaguar, it's a dominant gene
20:03
the other big cats, including tigers and lions, leopards and jaguars are part of the panthera
20:08
genus. Cougars are universally considered big cats. Notice what I didn't mention, cougars
20:16
Admittedly, their classification varies depending on the source, but I thought it was pretty
20:20
interesting that, though they're bigger than some big cats, cougars are sometimes considered
20:25
the largest of the small cats. That distinction is often made because they're not part of the
20:31
panthera genus. Raccoons only come out during the day when they're sick. Raccoons are most active at
20:38
night, it is true. But that doesn't mean you should panic if you see one out during the day
20:42
It's a common misconception that a raccoon out on a daytime stroll must have rabies. Instead
20:48
it could simply be just adjusting its behavior to take advantage of a food source. If you
20:53
for example, put out food every morning for an outdoor cat, a clever raccoon will adjust its
20:58
schedule to take advantage of the easy meal. Female raccoons are also known to appear in broad daylight
21:04
in search of extra food for their young. If you do, however, see a raccoon that's exhibiting signs
21:09
of rabies like foaming at the mouth, making whimpering noises, staggering around, or otherwise
21:15
acting erratically, make sure you stay away and contact the appropriate authorities
21:20
Possums and opossums are the same thing. The gray-bodied, pink-nosed, bald-tailed marsupials
21:27
Americans are familiar with are technically called opossums, strictly Virginia opossums, though most people drop the O and simply refer to them as possums. But possum technically refers to
21:38
an entirely different animal that was itself named after the American critter. True possums are also
21:45
marsupials. They're indigenous to Australia and a few nearby islands. Unlike Virginia opossums
21:51
They generally have fluffy tails. Some smaller species of possum actually face the risk of being eaten by giant spiders
21:59
something North American opossums don't really have to worry about. Wild orcas are known to attack and kill people
22:06
So-called killer whales have a pretty intense reputation. Orcas are keen killers, the great at hunting prey like fish, sharks, seals, and even other whales
22:17
People are generally not on their radar, though. There aren't any definitive records of an orca killing a person out in the ocean
22:24
And the one somewhat attested case of that happening involved a unique situation with trapped orcas that were likely on the brink of starvation The only orcas known to have killed people were kept in captivity
22:36
A monarch butterfly that starts the migration from Mexico is the same one that finishes it
22:42
Monarch butterflies do have one of the longest migrations in the insect world
22:46
but a single monarch is not making the long journey from Mexico to Canada in the northern United States
22:52
That long haul trip is a multi-generational effort. The butterflies have several stopping points along the trip
22:59
Those who arrive at each stopping point breed and lay eggs. Those offspring often continue on to other stopping points and continue the pattern
23:08
For eastern monarchs, for example, a butterfly that starts its springtime journey in Mexico
23:12
may only make it to the southern states before passing the torch to its offspring
23:16
That second generation will then head farther north to breed. Their offspring will then breed in the summer, and that third generation's descendants will be the ones who begin the journey south to Mexico toward the end of the summer
23:29
Oddly enough, many of those butterflies will complete the journey to Mexico, but that's a story for another time
23:35
Honey badgers want to fight you. Yes, honey badgers are tough. If you've seen that viral YouTube video from 2011, then you know they also do not give a damn
23:46
But they're also unlikely to actually fight you. When threatened, honey badgers will typically take a page from a skunk's book and use smell as a defense
23:54
Except rather than emit a smelly spray, they drop a stink bomb from a gland near their tail that stores a foul-smelling liquid
24:03
Beavers live in dams. Beavers build dams, but they don't live in them
24:08
The dams and the pond-like bodies of water they create are meant to be defensive deterrents that keep predators from where they actually live
24:15
lodges built within the dammed off-site. Penguins live at the South Pole. Some penguin species do
24:23
live in Antarctica, but not actually at the South Pole. The geographic South Pole is a specific place
24:29
on the Antarctic continent. It's the planet's southernmost point and has a latitude of exactly
24:34
90 degrees south. The geographic South Pole is more than 800 miles from Antarctica's nearest coast
24:40
that's far too inland for the penguins who need water to hunt
24:44
The birds don't live at the North Pole either. In fact, they don't live anywhere near the Arctic
24:49
So all those cute wintry images of penguins and polar bears hanging out together are entirely inaccurate
24:56
I'm so sorry. Narwhal tusks are horns. Hundreds of years ago, European royals used narwhal tusks as protection against poison
25:05
thinking they were unicorn horns. Obviously, the tusks were not from unicorns
25:10
In fact, they weren't even horns. A narwhal's tusk is actually a giant tooth
25:16
Narwhal's tusks are highly sensitive and can grow up to nine feet long
25:21
Coral is a plant or a rock. Coral root to the ground like plants and appear to be as still as a rock
25:29
But they're actually animals, specifically invertebrates made of thousands of little polyps
25:33
that eat by filtering zooplankton out of the water. There are actually algae that live within the coral itself, which turns sunlight into energy and nourish its host
25:43
But the coral, like any informed Muppets fan, is team animal. Crane flies are giant mosquitoes
25:51
Crane flies look like the mother of all mosquitoes. They have the same overall shape as the bloodsuckers, just at a much larger scale
25:59
In fact, crane fly refers to any insect that's part of the tepulidae family
26:03
Don't worry, unlike mosquitoes, crane flies do not suck people's blood. Daddy long legs refers to one deadly spider species
26:12
There are two glaring errors with this common misconception about daddy long legs
26:17
First of all, daddy long legs aren't always spiders. People commonly refer to three species as daddy long legs
26:23
harvestmen, crane flies, and seller spiders. And only seller spiders are actually spiders
26:30
Which of the three you picture when you hear daddy long legs depends on a bunch of factors, including where you grew up
26:36
Also, despite an odd rumor that daddy longlegs are the most venomous spider species in the world
26:42
no type of daddy longlegs is venomous enough to kill a person. Harvestmen don't even have any sort of toxic substances
26:49
to inject anyone with, or any fangs to do the injecting. Cellar spiders do have both venom and fangs
26:56
but experts haven't found any proof that their toxins are lethal enough to kill a human
27:01
All bees are busy. If you're someone who works hard or keeps a full schedule
27:07
chances are you've been called a busy bee at some point. It's true that some bees, like honeybees and bumblebees
27:14
are indeed busy, but not all species are. A lot of male bees get to take it pretty easy while in the nest
27:20
According to a 2014 study that literally glued RFID tags onto bees
27:26
approximately 20% of the foraging workforce accounted for 50% of the total flight activity. When researchers removed those busy bees from the
27:34
population, the remaining subjects seemed to compensate for their absence by becoming more
27:39
productive. A lesson perhaps for anyone who's used to doing all of the work in a group project
27:45
Cuckoo bees hardly work at all. They lay their eggs in the nests of other bee species
27:50
forcing them to feed their young. We call that working smarter, not harder
27:54
Goldfish can remember things that happened more than just a few seconds ago
28:03
Studies from the 50s and 60s proved it, and yet the myth that they only have three-second memories persists
28:09
We don't know exactly how long their memories last, but it's thought to be months for certain types of information
28:14
People have conducted several studies involving food, such as feeding the fish on one side of their tanks
28:20
having them perform certain behaviors to receive food, and having the fish navigate obstacles such as mazes
28:26
In all of the tests, goldfish were shown to remember what they needed to do to get the food
28:32
Oatmeal kills ants. According to some old at-home remedies, oatmeal is a good way to get rid of ants
28:39
It was thought that when ants ate the oatmeal, the food would expand as it became wet in their stomach and eventually kill them
28:46
But even a single piece of oatmeal is far too big for an ant to eat
28:51
And many adult ants don't eat solid food at all. Horseshoe crabs are crabs
28:57
We can chalk this one up to a confusing name. Horseshoe crabs are not crabs or even crustaceans
29:04
They're more closely related to arachnids such as spiders and scorpions. True crabs have antennae and jaws
29:11
Horseshoe crabs have neither. The reputation as living fossils, on the other hand, is fairly accurate
29:17
Horseshoe crabs have been around for at least 445 million years, which means they were roaming the planet long before dinosaurs arrived on the scene around 230 million years ago
29:28
Just because the species is super old doesn't mean horseshoe crabs don't live it up
29:32
In fact, the creatures even engage in group sex. Pill bugs are bugs
29:38
Here's another misconception that comes from a misleading name. Pill bugs, also known as roly polies and potato bugs
29:46
are not bugs. What constitutes a bug is a matter of debate amongst biologists, but this particular case
29:52
isn't particularly controversial. They aren't even insects. Pill bugs are really crustaceans
29:59
They're actually fairly closely related to the giant isopods that live in the ocean. Sharks can smell a drop of blood
30:05
from a mile away. If you somehow cut yourself and start bleeding while you're in the ocean
30:10
do not freak out. It won't act like a beacon to all the sharks within a few miles
30:16
The sharp-toothed fish do have excellent senses of smell. Just how good their smell is depends on
30:21
the specific species. In general, though, it's thought sharks can only smell blood from around
30:26
a quarter of a mile away. Besides, sharks don't need to sniff blood to find their next meal
30:32
Thanks to their highly sensitive electrosensory organs, they can detect their prey's heartbeat
30:37
Don't you feel better? It's worth noting, though, unless you're a seal, sharks likely have little
30:43
interest in you. If you are a seal watching this video, I mean, that's just awesome
30:48
A carrot-only diet is good for rabbits. This one is bad news for Bugs Bunny. Rabbits
30:56
should not eat a lot of carrots. Think of the root veg as rabbit candy. They can have them in
31:01
moderation as a treat, but in the wild, rabbits wouldn't ordinarily eat carrots, and they have far
31:07
too much sugar to be a healthy meal. It's best for bunnies to stick with hay and grass, leafy greens
31:12
and dedicated rabbit pellets as their main source of food. Cockroaches are indestructible. Sure, cockroaches are freakishly good at staying alive. They can even
31:24
regrow lost limbs. But they aren't truly indestructible. An average person can indeed
31:29
kill a cockroach. No exterminator required. You'll need to make sure you're using a strong enough
31:34
insecticide or crushing it with enough force. But still, the job can be done. In fact, the average
31:40
roach lives for only about 20 to 30 weeks. Bonobos never fight. Bonobos have been informally dubbed
31:48
the hippie apes, owing to their free, loving ways. They're known to engage in different permutations
31:53
of sexual activity, including same-sex genital rubbing and group sex. All this sex might very well play a role in group cohesion and cooperation, which has
32:03
led to a bit of a one-sided view of the primates as some sort of pacifistic ideal in the animal kingdom
32:10
Instead of fighting, this line of thinking goes, two otherwise tense bonobos will simply
32:14
get it on and avoid further conflict. In fact, bonobos have been known to fight one another
32:20
Like chimpanzees, they sometimes even form coalitions to engage in group attacks
32:26
Interestingly, the most common groups observed in one study were made up of all females
32:31
Those groups had an incredibly high rate of success against males for the record So while studying bonobos may still reveal unique insights into primate behavior the idea that they exist in a perpetual state of sex tranquility is a myth
32:47
Chimpanzees are monkeys. Neither bonobos nor chimpanzees are monkeys. They're both considered apes
32:54
There are a number of differences between the two types of primates. Apes are generally bigger and smarter, and only monkeys have tails
33:02
As seems to always be the case with biology, there are tricky edge cases
33:07
Barbary macaques are monkeys, but they either have no tail at all or a vestigial tail
33:12
Bald eagles are named for a lack of feathers. Bald eagles obviously have feathers on their heads
33:18
The Andean condor, for my money, looks balder. Still, you could imagine the United States national bird earning its name
33:25
because the white feathers up top look bald compared to the darker feathers found below the neck
33:31
Etymologically, though, that's not quite right. The best guess seems to be that their name is related to a different bald
33:37
effectively meaning white or marked with white like piebald. So the name probably comes from their white heads and not any resemblance to Vin Diesel
33:47
White rhinos are white. Similar to bald eagles, the name white rhino is a bit misleading
33:53
I mean, just look at them. They're clearly gray. Some sources say the name derives
33:57
from a Dutch or Afrikaans word for wide, but that explanation is dubious, according to experts
34:03
Black rhinos, incidentally, aren't black. They're gray, too. Rays are a particularly dangerous type of fish
34:11
The tragedy that took Steve Irwin's life might have you believe rays are particularly lethal creatures
34:17
This probably is not the case, though. First of all, most of the hundreds of ray species
34:22
aren't stingrays at all. The spiny butterfly ray, for example, is considered harmless to humans
34:28
If you step on it and it feels the need to defend itself, the resulting injury might hurt but won't be fatal
34:34
And even the types of rays that can be dangerous don't seem to account for a large number of human casualties
34:40
Exact numbers are hard to come by, but a textbook from several decades ago pegged the number of recorded deaths attributable to stingrays at only 17
34:49
Obviously, that number has gone up in more recent years, but compared to more common killers like bee stings
34:55
and dog attacks, stingrays aren't exactly mother nature's assassins. Of course, it's still best to proceed with caution
35:02
if you end up anywhere near a stingray and to follow best practices for dealing with wild animals Look from a distance but definitely do not touch Giant pandas are endangered Pandas are still considered vulnerable but that represents an upgrade from their long status as endangered
35:20
Their worldwide population has actually grown around 17% over the past decade, according to the World Wildlife Fund
35:26
Of course, the fact that the adorable bears are so closely associated with endangered animals in general has a lot to do with the WWF
35:34
They've used pandas as a sort of mascot for the organization's efforts for decades
35:40
and should be applauded for their success. There is a risk of this single-species conservation strategy, though
35:46
as Benji Jones outlined in a piece for Fox. While photogenic animals like pandas, gorillas, and tigers might be well-served by this approach
35:54
it risks neglecting other species, which are just as important for global biodiversity
35:59
In the same time period that pandas have begun their comeback, for example, many bird and fish species have been depleted. Mussels and corals are at risk. Though they're
36:08
vital to ecosystems, they don't have adorable faces that make for good promotional materials
36:13
We can be happy that pandas are hopefully on the road to recovery, but still acknowledge that
36:18
future conservation efforts may be better served by taking a holistic approach
36:23
Bread makes good duck food. Eaten in moderation, a little bit of bread isn't super harmful for ducks
36:30
It may provide empty calories, but it's not toxic. But if you're in a well-trafficked public park
36:36
it's unlikely that ducks being fed bread and other human food are able to practice moderation
36:41
This can lead to malnutrition if the birds are filling up on bread. Bread that isn't eaten right away can mold
36:48
with potentially negative consequences if it's eaten later on. It can also attract critters like rats, which come with a different set of problems
36:56
People feeding ducks bread also can lead to overcrowding and increased defecation
37:01
which can promote excess algae growth and the spread of diseases. If you really want to feed your local ducks
37:07
there are duck pellets available that will generally be more nutritious. Oats, barley, and thawed frozen peas are probably also better choices
37:16
but really, you should avoid feeding them at all. Experts generally agree any wild animal relying on humans for food is not ideal
37:24
Salmon jump to loosen their eggs. Okay, I have to admit that I had never heard
37:30
of this misconception. It apparently has been floated as an explanation for why the fish jump, though
37:36
The idea is that the movement helps free the eggs from a membrane, which would then be helpful
37:41
around mating time. Since male salmon have also been shown to jump though this explanation doesn seem very plausible The reason I wanted to bring up this misconception such as it is is that we don really know for sure why salmon engage in this unusual behavior Jumping frequency increases as feeding activity goes down so it
38:00
doesn't seem like they're hopping up for insects. One study suggested they might be trying to
38:05
dislodge seed lice. Though there is some evidence for the claim, it apparently took an average of 56
38:11
six leaps to dislodge a single sea louse. Which seems like a questionable return on investment
38:17
for an activity that expends energy and puts the fish at greater risk from predatory birds
38:22
Further research is likely needed. Sheep Are Mindless You don't have to travel very far on Twitter
38:29
to find someone accusing a human being of being a sheep. The implication is that they're
38:34
unthinking and overly obedient. I'll leave that particular topic for another channel
38:38
to comment on, but I can speak to the supposed stupidity of sheep
38:44
These adorable animals can recognize peers and familiar humans, and studies have shown
38:49
the ovines are able to remember the distribution of different foods across a pasture well
38:54
They've also been found to have distinct personalities. One study, for example, showed individuals falling at different places on the spectrum
39:01
of shyness to boldness, exhibiting different appetites for risk-taking behavior and exploration
39:08
Images of large flocks of sheep moving more or less in unison may have given rise to our
39:12
figurative language around the animals, but assuming this means they're dumb is incorrect
39:17
In fact, on an individual level, that flocking behavior makes perfect sense
39:22
By congregating together, vulnerable sheep reduce their risk of being picked off by predators
39:27
Komodo dragons have lethally dirty mouths. This myth dates back to a 1981 book by biologist Walter Offenberg as Ed Yong broke down in
39:37
a piece for National Geographic. The idea is that while the large lizards aren't venomous per se
39:42
their mouths are teeming with bacteria that indirectly take down anything unlucky enough
39:48
to get bit by a Komodo dragon. The actual explanation is much simpler. Komodo dragons
39:53
do have venom glands. When they bite another animal, the toxins released by the glands
39:58
are contributing to those early deaths, not poor oral hygiene. When a team led by Ellie Goldstein
40:05
from UCLA's School of Medicine swabbed Komodo dragon mouths, they found normal microbial
40:10
life, nothing that would support Offenberg's original claim
#education