Myth and Truth: Misconceptions about Mammals

If a mouse does not eat within two days, it can easily starve to death. But why do rats gnaw on lead-sheathed cables or concrete? These animals need sharp teeth, and since they grow throughout their lives, they have to be constantly grinded and sharpened.

How they take revenge. A striking example is the species of jellyfish that live in the Pacific Ocean near the Great Barrier Reef. If you attack such a jellyfish, it begins to release substances that attract predatory sharks. The same thing happens if the jellyfish is injured or torn apart.

It is not clear how such a mechanism arose, but the fact is obvious: it is worth inflicting at least a cut on this coelenterate, and sharks begin to converge on the scene, roaming in search of food.

Water is stored not in the humps, but in the whole body of the camel. The humps are needed to store fat and protect from the scorching rays of the sun.

More interesting facts about camels you will find in our article ☛

The mystery of the mysterious circles has been solved. On the territory of the island of Tasmania (near Australia) there are poppy fields that provide the medical industry with opium, from which morphine and barbiturates are made. Poppy plantation workers are well aware that it is kangaroos and sheep that visit the fields to feast on ripe poppy pods.

At the same time, the behavior of animals becomes strange: they seem to fall into a trance, not noticing anything around, and slowly circle, moving in a circle. The drunkenness lasts long enough for the kangaroos to stomp clear circles, as if drawn with a compass.

In fact, zebras are fleeing from insects, in particular from the infamous tsetse fly, the carrier of sleeping sickness, the scourge of Central and South Africa. Due to the peculiarities of the faceted vision of insects, they very poorly distinguish between the alternation of colors in stripes: for their gaze at a close distance, the desired prey blurs into a smeared spot, and they simply get lost, unable to orient themselves in space.

More interesting facts about zebras you will find in our article ☛

Scientists call South American bats vampires because of the similarity of their menu with the diet of fabulous creatures. These bats are unique in that, by cutting off a piece of skin, they moisten the wound with saliva containing anticoagulants and lick off the protruding blood, which does not clot even after the animal is satiated.

So far, there have been no identified deaths caused by the vampire bite itself. But from the rabies with which these animals infect animals and humans, many people died.

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In fact, the koala is a marsupial animal. This is a medium-sized herbivore that spends most of its life on its favorite eucalyptus trees. During the day, the koala sleeps, sitting on a tree branch, and at night it climbs trees, looking for food. Even if the koala does not sleep, it usually sits completely still for hours. Koala is immobile 16-18 hours a day.

More interesting facts about koalas you will find in our article ☛

A huge number of animals, finding themselves in the zoo, simply thrive. Our closest relatives in the animal kingdom – the higher primates, such as chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, with proper care, live much longer behind bars in the zoo than in the wild.

The natural color tones of a polar bear's coat range from dark gray to yellowish. But the skin of bears is dark, almost black. This is not a whim of nature, but a useful acquisition, thanks to which the bear can bask in the sun, despite the light-repellent color of the coat.

There was a case when a polar bear turned green. This happened at the Moscow Zoo. It turned out that in the hairs of animals, due to humidity and high temperature, unicellular algae bred and began to multiply, which gave the bear such an unusual shade.

The Texas Toad Lizard lives in North America. In case of danger, if she fails to hide, she swells almost twice and raises all the scales and projections on end. If the predator is not embarrassed by such a masquerade, then the last argument comes into play: the lizard shoots from the corners of its eyes into the mouth of the attacker with its own blood. Her blood is slightly poisonous and unpleasant in taste, and the predator most often retreats.

Lemmings are small animals from the order of rodents, similar to hamsters. In the harsh conditions of the north, sometimes there is unexpectedly much food, but then the animals that have bred in a short season suddenly find themselves on the threshold of winter. The amount of food decreases significantly, and lemmings go in search of it. Having met a water barrier, they accumulate on the banks, not being able to turn back. Gradually pushing the rear rows begin to push the front rows into the water, where rodents who are unlucky, after swimming a little, drown.

More interesting facts about lemmings you will find in our article ☛

If a mongoose allows itself to be bitten, it will die faster than a human. Mongooses do not tend to fight with snakes, as Kipling says, and when they meet, they try not to attack, but to retreat (retreat).

It should be said that mongooses are so dexterous that they almost always manage to dodge snake bites. In addition, the animals are protected by coarse hair and thick skin disheveled during the struggle.

More interesting facts about mongooses you will find in our article ☛