Bats can see, you know

Do you, like most people, still believe these fallacies about animals?

We all grow up learning "facts" about animals that sound perfectly reasonable. Bats are blind. Touch a baby bird, and its mother will never come back. The problem is, many of these ideas are simply wrong. Passed down through cartoons, sayings, and well-meaning adults, these myths stick around long after science has proved them wrong. Here are some of the most common animal misconceptions people still believe, and the surprisingly simple truths behind them!

While bat vision isn't exactly human-grade color vision, their eyes do work, especially in low light. On top of that, most bats use echolocation, meaning high-frequency chirps that bounce off objects, to navigate and hunt in pitch darkness.

In truth, ostriches lower their heads to the ground when they are inspecting or turning their eggs in shallow dirt nests. But from a distance, the flat ground and sandy soil make it look like their tiny heads have disappeared. When they are scared, these birds don't hide their faces; they run, and fast.

This myth refuses to die. But a camel's hump isn't a water storage unit; it's a fat reserve. That fat can be metabolized for energy when food is scarce. They do have a hydration superpower, though: camels can drink enormous amounts at once and lose very little water through sweat.

Our best friends don't see the world the way we do, but it's not a grayscale movie either. Their vision is dichromatic, meaning they mainly see blues and yellows. This actually suits their needs just fine, especially combined with excellent motion detection.

This warning has stopped generations of kids in their tracks, but it's largely untrue. Most birds have a very weak sense of smell, so it would be highly unlikely for them to detect human scent on their chicks!

What actually does cause trouble is too much disturbance near a nest, which can scare parents away temporarily.

The idea of the ruthless alpha wolf fighting to stay on top sounds dramatic, and that may be why it stuck. But it turns out the theory came from studies of unrelated wolves kept in captivity.

In the wild, wolf packs are usually families: parents and their offspring, so leadership depends on age, and they rely on teamwork more than those experiments suggested.

Despite what bullfighting suggests, bulls aren't enraged by red cloth. In fact, they can't even see red as a distinct color. What sets them off is movement, specifically the dramatic waving of the cape. The red color is mainly for tradition and to hide stains, not to provoke the animal.

It's really more of a shutdown. When opossums are terrified, their bodies can enter an involuntary state that makes them stiff, unresponsive, and eerily lifeless. Their heart rate slows, their tongue may hang out, and they can even emit a foul smell.

Cartoons did mice no favors here. While cheese makes a convenient visual gag, real mice tend to prefer foods like grains, seeds, fruits, and sweets. Cheese is often too strong-smelling and fatty to be their first choice.

Bears are often described as sleeping straight through winter, but their version of hibernation is more flexible. They enter a state called torpor, where their metabolism slows, but their body temperature doesn't drop nearly as much as true hibernators like ground squirrels. That's why bears can wake up, move around, or even give birth during winter.

Calling someone a pig isn't fair to pigs. These animals are actually quite clean when given enough space. They roll in mud to cool down and protect their skin from sunburn, not because they enjoy being dirty. Left to their own devices, pigs separate sleeping, eating, and bathroom areas with surprising precision.

Animal patterns and colors help break up outlines and blend into environments, but they don't make creatures visibly disappear. Movement still gives them away, and predators and prey rely on sharp eyes to spot subtle changes.

Diggin’ deeper

Antikythera to Rosetta: 10 of the greatest archaeological finds ever made

Image: The Cleveland Museum of Art

Most of the time, archaeology uncovers little more than pottery shards and ancient tools—not that there’s anything wrong with those. But sometimes, when luck strikes, excavations can reveal bizarre, baffling, and downright eerie artifacts that challenge our understanding of history. Join us on a journey through 10 of the most fascinating mysteries and unexpected finds ever unearthed.

Image: Constantinos Kollias

Recovered from a shipwreck in 1901, the Antikythera Mechanism was a surprisingly complex artifact that used intricate bronze gears to predict eclipses, track planetary positions, and regulate calendars.

Advanced imaging techniques revealed it contained at least 37 interlocking gears, operated by a hand crank, earning it the title of the world’s first known analog computer.

Image: Seiji Seiji

Dating back to 500 BCE–500 CE, these lines cover over 400 square miles and depict animals, plants, and geometric shapes. Created by removing the top layer of reddish pebbles to expose the lighter soil beneath, they have remained intact thanks to the region’s dry climate.

While their full extent can only be appreciated from the air, scholars believe they served astronomical or ceremonial purposes at the time.

Image: Spencer Davis

Found across Europe, these hollow 12-sided polyhedra date to the 2nd–4th centuries CE. From the start, they puzzled scientists, who couldn’t determine their purpose.

Their size, ranging from 1.6 to 4.3 inches, and evenly spaced holes suggest they may have been measuring tools, religious artifacts, or even knitting aids. However, no ancient texts explain their use, and, so far, the mystery remains unsolved.

Image: F𝓪7𝓪𝓭 ✔️ .

This 2,000-year-old ceramic jar contained a copper cylinder and an iron rod, which some have speculated could have been part of an ancient galvanic cell.

It might have generated the electricity required for electroplating or medicinal purposes. Tests with modern replicas show it can produce a small voltage, though its true function remains unconfirmed.

Image: The New York Public Library

Drawn by Ottoman admiral Piri Reis in 1513, this early world map depicts parts of Europe, Africa, and the Americas with surprising precision.

Some theories claim it even shows Antarctica centuries before its official discovery. The surviving fragment is now kept in Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace.

Image: Mark Rasmuson

Carbon-dated to the early 15th century, this mysterious 240-page manuscript is written in an unknown script with even stranger botanical drawings.

Despite decades of cryptographic attempts, no one has cracked its meaning. It’s housed at Yale University’s Beinecke Library.

Image: Steinar Engeland

At the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland, Canada, lies the first confirmed Viking settlement in North America, dated to around 1000 CE. Excavations have revealed turf houses, iron-working remains, and Viking-style artifacts.

This UNESCO World Heritage site provides clear evidence that Norse explorers reached North America nearly 500 years before Columbus.

Image: Aaron Greenwood

Discovered in 1974, China’s Terracotta Warriors consist of over 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers standing in battle formation near Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb.

Buried with the emperor around 210 BCE, these warriors were created to serve as his protectors in the afterlife, reflecting the emperor’s power and beliefs about immortality. The site remains one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in history.

Image: Gabriel Garcia Marengo

Discovered in the Alps in 1991, Ötzi is a naturally mummified man from the Copper Age, over 5,300 years old. Found with a copper axe and clothing made from multiple animal hides, his body is so perfectly preserved that even multiple tattoos can be identified.

Curiously, analysis of Ötzi’s remains revealed he died from an arrow wound, offering rare and valuable insight into prehistoric life, violence, and death during the Copper Age. A literal cold case from millennia ago, eh?

Image: Matteo Vistocco

Discovered in 1799, the Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele inscribed with the same text in three scripts: Greek, Demotic, and hieroglyphic. This unique trilingual inscription provided the crucial key to understanding ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Thanks to the Rosetta Stone, Jean-François Champollion was able to crack the hieroglyphic code in 1822, unlocking centuries of Egyptian history. The artifact is now prominently displayed in the British Museum.