What is a common biological myth that you’d like to debunk?
Ask A Biologist Monday 5/3/21
Mine is that you can’t even touch most mushrooms because it will hurt you. It’s fine to touch almost all mushrooms. Just be sure to wash your hands before the next time you touch your mouth or eat food.
Answers from the Biologists:
Skunks are not is the weasel (mustelid) family. They are actually their own family: Mephitidae!
Animals will not actually abandon their young if they “smell like humans”. Put the baby back!!
Snakes don’t chase people
Evolution has no goal or direction. We’re all just traits, shifting over time.
People claim bats eat a lot of mosquitos, but actually they usually prey on bigger invertebrates than that.
You can’t reliably tell the sex of a sport fish (like bass) by size.
That rhyme about coral snakes. It’s easily confused and coral snakes have aberrant color patterns. It’s way easier just to learn what a coral snake looks like without trying to memorize an inaccurate rhyme.
Lemmings don’t actually commit mass suicide.
Animal parents aren’t with their offspring 24/7. An alone chick/fawn/etc. is most likely okay!
Pronghorn aren’t antelope. They’re actually in an entirely different family.
Brown recluses do not live throughout the US. They’re actually limited to the SE US.
Earwigs crawl into your ears to lay eggs.
All bats do not have rabies. In reality only a small percentage do.
Virginia opossums are not gross or diseased creatures-they deserve better!
Baby birds don’t need your help.
You can’t tell if a snake is venomous by pupil shape or head shape alone.
The sound played over bald eagles in movies and shows is usually a red tailed hawk.
Black bears are not always black. They can be blonde, brown, cinnamon, black, or white.
Snakes (or really any animal) are not morally bad. They just want to survive.
Vampire bats don’t drink blood. they bat an animal then lap the blood with their tongue.
Turkey vultures are not dirty. They actually have cool behaviors and adaptations to prevent disease and inhibit bacteria.
Bears are not attracted to people menstruating.
Catfish whiskers will not sting you. They have sharp bones in their fins.
The whole tail of a sting ray will not sting you and not all species of rays have barbs.
Toads won’t give you warts.
Not all algae is bad.
Few parasites kill their hosts because it would kill the parasite too!
Bats are not blind.
If you touch a baby bird, the mother will not abandon them.
Wildlife do not need to be fed. It just spreads disease and accustoms them to people in a bad way.
Not all mammals give live birth. Echidnas and platypus lay eggs.
It's not a sad thing when a predator eats prey. That's the circle of life.
Gar aren't trash fish that “eat all the bass”. Please stop breaking their jaws.
Redhorse also aren't trash fish. They have an ecological purpose.
Owls can't fully rotate their heads. They can turn them about 270 degrees.
Bring a fork.
Check out the local geocaches.
Plan your stops ahead of time.
