Don’t go around poking bears

Did you know that these animal facts are not true?

Certain animal facts are just a given: Everyone knows that bats are blind, bulls hate the color red, and that touching a toad will give you warts. But are these things really true, or are they just wives' tales that have been passed down through generations? Let’s have a look at some of these myths and see if they have some truth in them, or if they are just a folkloric invention.

The first misconception here is the meaning of ‘hibernation’ —a state where an animal drastically lowers its body temperature, appearing lifeless, and sleeps through the cold season. While most bears are less active through the Winter, they don’t hibernate. They enter a state called ‘torpor’, where they reduce their temperature and drop their heart rate, but they are lethargic, not sleeping. They will react to external stimuli, meaning you can still come across these furry fellows during a winter hike.

In popular tradition, the color red is associated with anger, but this has nothing to do with bulls, as they are partially colorblind and, as such, unable to see red. This common misconception stems from bullfighting, where the matador uses a brightly colored—usually red—muleta (a cloth hanging from a stick) to provoke the bull. What angers the bull is the whipping of the muleta, not its color. Why do they use a red cloth? To disguise blood spatters.

"If you don’t wash your hair, you will catch lice.": You must have heard this old wives’ tale. Another popular belief claims that lice actually prefer clean heads, as they can move more freely in a clean scalp. As a matter of fact, lice don't care about your personal hygiene, nor about your hair type; they just want a warm scalp and blood to feed on. Your chances of catching pediculosis are tied to close contact with an infested person, nothing else.

Another myth, most likely popularized by the anti-bat lobby. A bat’s vision can vary according to their species, but no bat is 100% blind, though some do better in low-light conditions. Some of them actually have excellent eyesight! The myth of the blind bat comes from their use of echolocation for hunting in the dark, and their sometimes erratic movements when following insects.

This one is a partial truth: dogs can’t see the same color spectrum as humans, but this doesn’t mean their world is black and white. While the human eye has three color-detecting cone cells, dogs have only two, which would make them ‘partially colorblind’. They are unable to distinguish shades of red, green, and orange, which they perceive as yellowish-brown or grayish, but they see other colors, such as blue and yellow.

Toads might not have the loveliest appearance, but they have nothing to do with any wart you might have. Warts in humans are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transmitted from person to person. What looks like warts on a toad’s skin are actually glands, used to secrete a toxin that deters predators. This toxin might irritate human skin, so remember to wash your hands if you touch a toad.

Penguins have the reputation of being one of the most faithful animals in the world, even when their partner dies. While some penguin species have a high fidelity rate compared to other animals, none of them mate for life. Some penguin species are known to form long-term bonds with their mates, while others are serial monogamists, but they can actually change partners if they have an unsuccessful mating season.

Ostriches and their alleged head-burying behavior have become a symbol of ignoring one’s problems, but this is based on a myth. This confusion, which some said dates back to Ancient Rome, stems from the ostrich’s shallow nests. When they turn the eggs with their beak, it might look like they are burying their heads in the ground from a distance. When an ostrich feels threatened, they either run away or completely flatten their body to the ground.

Most birds have a weaker sense of smell compared with other animals, so they rely on their vision and hearing to recognize their young. In addition to this, they tend to have strong parental instincts, so human touch and scent are not enough to make them reject their offspring. But, as a rule of thumb, it is always advisable to leave baby birds alone, unless they are injured or in immediate danger.

Camels are able to go for weeks without water, and sometimes even months. This has led to the belief that they store water somewhere in their bodies, mainly in their hump, but this is mainly a myth. What they do store in the hump is fat, which works as an energy reserve when food is scarce, and that can, in certain situations, be metabolized into water. Storing fat in their hump instead of in the rest of their bodies also allows them to keep cool in warmer climates.

We just know that we know nothing

12 facts that people often get wrong

No one can claim to know everything, but most people go through life confident about certain things. However, some of these widely held beliefs are not actually correct, despite their popularity. Let’s have a look at some "facts" you might have gotten wrong!

The idea that insects—particularly mosquitoes—are not animals is widespread, but it’s also incorrect. In fact, insects are the most diverse group within the Animal kingdom, with more than a million species described and representing more than half of the animal population of the planet.

The mistake comes from not considering that "fruit" is not only a culinary term but also a botanical one. Botanically, a fruit is the part of a plant that develops from a flower and contains seeds. This makes tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and many other foods that we call vegetables actually fruits in the scientific sense.

Countries have a political delimitation, while continents are divided according to geographical criteria. The Russian Federation is the largest country on Earth, bordering fourteen other countries and extending across eleven time zones. It spans across a good part of Eastern Europe, but also across the Ural mountains—one of the recognized borders between Europe and Asia—and stretches deep into northern Asia.

While cold weather isn’t harmless, it is not the direct cause of illnesses like the flu, which are caused by viruses. In colder months, people tend to spend more time indoors and often avoid ventilating rooms, creating conditions that make it easier for viruses to spread and cause illness.

Bats might not prefer to be out during bright daylight, but this does not mean that they are blind. In fact, many species have excellent eyesight, though it is adapted to low-light or nighttime conditions. On top of that, bats also use echolocation, which allows them to navigate and hunt with remarkable precision in complete darkness.

The belief that you must wait a full day before reporting someone missing is a myth popularized by movies and TV shows. In reality, the law does not require a waiting period. In fact, law enforcement agencies stress that the first 24 hours are often the most critical, so a missing person should be reported immediately.

Some man-made structures are visible from space without magnification, but despite popular belief, the Great Wall of China is not one of them. While it is quite long, being over 13,000 miles long, it is relatively narrow, and its earthy colors blend in with the surrounding landscape, making it nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye from orbit.

This one is tricky: Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth (29,032 feet)… if you measure the distance from sea level to peak. For the actual tallest mountain, the answer might vary depending on how you measure. Measured from base to summit, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the tallest at 33,474 feet—though much of it is underwater. Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska rises about 18,000 feet from its base to the peak, making it the tallest mountain entirely above sea level. And Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo, while shorter in height, is the farthest point on Earth from the planet’s center due to the equatorial bulge.

The Earth is tilted on an axis, which causes the amount of sunlight each hemisphere receives to change as it orbits the Sun. Because of this tilt, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and experiences summer, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away and experiences winter—and vice versa. This is why the Southern Hemisphere celebrates Christmas during summer.

Standard medical advice is to gently guide a sleepwalker back to bed rather than waking them, but not because waking them is inherently dangerous. People tend to sleepwalk during deep sleep, so waking them up might startle them or cause confusion and disorientation.

Hair color and thickness are determined by genetics, not by shaving. Hair naturally gets thin at the ends, so when you shave it, the hair shaft appears to be thicker and darker because of the blunt cut. But it's just an optical illusion; the natural size of the shaft remains unchanged.

Coffee is a natural diuretic, meaning it can increase trips to the bathroom. However, the water in brewed coffee still contributes to your hydration and offsets its mild diuretic effect. If you consume coffee in moderation—3 to 5 cups a day, depending on your tolerance—you should be alright. However, drinking extra water on the side is never a bad idea.