5 wrong animal stereotypes that will make you rethink nature
Elijah Rona
February 04, 2019
2 Comments
No one knows it all. What you thought was true today may just become false tomorrow. There are a few things we know about a few animals but we don't really know if they're true or not. Read this article to learn 5 wrong animal stereotypes we've been using to judge animals
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5 wrong animal stereotypes
Lions are the king of the jungle
Lions to many people, represent pride. Pride literally a group of lions. Here are some facts about lions:
- Male lions, when in a pride, mostly relies on the females for food. The females mostly do the hunting
- When male lions become the alpha male of a pride, they kill and (sometimes) eat the cubs of the females impregnated by other males
- Lions don't come first in anything; not in size, strength, speed, niche, etc.
- Most lions aren't found in the jungle or forest. They can be found in grasslands, wildernesses, savannas, etc.
- Other animals fear lions because lions are social animals (strength in numbers), predators and scary
How can lions be the kings of the king of the jungle if they mostly aren't found in the jungle? How can lions represent pride when all they do is sleep, hunt for food and eat? Why don't lions come first in anything? Such kings they are.
Let's talk a little about tigers:
- Tigers are mostly solitary. They only meet each other accidentally or when it's mating time. Although they're solitary, they still hunt successfully and dominate
- They're mostly found in the jungle/forest. In other words, they dominate the forest
- Tigers are the biggest cats
- Their limbs are so strong that if they die standing, they still won't fall
Now, who should be the king of the jungle?
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| The majestic Tiger |
Owls represent wisdom
This has been known for ages. Even since the time of the Greeks, Athena the goddess of wisdom was commonly associated with Owls. Well, owls are nice birds and have cool features like their neck's ability to rotate up to 270°. Owls have large eyes which make them look as if they're very cautious. Well, i can't argue that Owls can represent wisdom but i can argue that they are not the best animal to represent wisdom. For instance, can an owl match the Octopus?
Here are a few octopus' facts:
- They're invertebrates, in the same phylum with snails, slugs, clams, etc.
- Octopuses have neurons in all their eight arms. This makes them great at multitasking because all eight arms can function differently at the same time. More like a creature with nine brains (one central).
- Although related to slow and immobile organisms, octopuses (as well as squids) can be very fast in water.
- Octopus; Octo -eight, pus/podus -foot literally means eight foot while its class Cephalopods literally means head foot.
- Looking at the octopus its head is just that small part where the eyes can be found just above the arms. The mantle cavity (which houses its stomach, anus and other vital organs) makes a cephalopod look like an organism with a very large brain.
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| Well, I think the Octopus should be the real representative of wisdom |
Pigs are very dirty
You'd definitely feel insulted if someone calls you a pig. We all know pigs to be very dirty. Let's study the pigs:
- If given the chance, pigs don't poop close to where they sleep or eat.
- Pigs don't have sweat pores so they rely on the coolness of the ground to keep their body from over heating. This means that they love the mud, not because they just want to play or become dirty but because it's their natural instinct of survival.
- Pigs are smarter than our household pets so they're more easily trained than cats and dogs
Well, pigs need the dirt to survive. Why does your dog like to roll in the dirt?
Vultures are evil
Yes they eat the flesh of dead animals but does that mean they're evil? Let's exam the vultures:
- They're detrivores. This means that they eat decomposing animals. Is that really bad? With this niche of vultures, they're able to speed up the time nutrients would be taken back to the ground. For instance, it may take more than 3 months for the soft parts (flesh) of a carcass to decompose and even longer for its bones. When vultures eat the carcass, it would digest and excrete it in not more than 2 days.
- Vultures are social. Meaning they're mostly around each other. Talking of co-operation
Don't call vultures evil. They're only acting their role in nature.
Read Microorganisms; the good, the bad and the ugly
This stereotype is popular in Nigeria. It is widely accepted and more Nigerians would kill any Owl or unknown Cat they find wandering in the street early in the morning. Just like Nigerians many people believe that Cats and Owls are used by or transformed into by witches and wizards.
Owls and Cats (especially owls) are nocturnal meaning they're mostly active at night. They move at night, hunt/search for food at night, poop at night and return back to their hiding place early in the morning. There's nothing witchy about them. This is among the 5 wrong animal stereotypes we should put to rest.
Read Cool nature facts you may not have known
Read Microorganisms; the good, the bad and the ugly
Owls and Cats are evil
Owls and Cats (especially owls) are nocturnal meaning they're mostly active at night. They move at night, hunt/search for food at night, poop at night and return back to their hiding place early in the morning. There's nothing witchy about them. This is among the 5 wrong animal stereotypes we should put to rest.
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| What the average Nigerian thinks about witches |
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