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31 Egregious Myths and Misconceptions TV Has Taught Us About Both Man and Beast

I feel like I don’t even know myself

31 Egregious Myths and Misconceptions TV Has Taught Us About Both Man and Beast

February 04, 2024

Everything I learned about the animal kingdom, I learned from Wile E. Coyote and Curious George. And I won’t apologize for that. I think we all just need to recognize that it’s very big of me to admit I had some blind spots, and am working to correct them. And so, here are a few handy facts I’ve picked up about humans and animals in recent years…

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31

Waking sleepwalkers does not harm them D day THE FORT CRACKED.COM They may become disoriented upon waking, but sleepwalking can cause life-threatening injuries, like attempting to a drive a car. — Source

30

If you shave, your hair doesn't grow back thicker. CRACKED.COM It may appear to be darker/thicker because of the blunt (as opposed to tapered) ends. — Source

29

Rolling your tongue is learned, not genetic. CRACKED.COM The study that labeled it a genetic trait was from 1940, and it has since been disproved. — Source

28

Sitting close to the TV doesn't hurt your eyes. GRACKED.COM People with bad eyesight sit closer to the television because they have bad eyesight. — Source

27

It doesn't take 7 years to digest swallowed gum. CRACKED.COM It moves as the same rate as everything else you swallow, but it resists being broken down by the body. — Source

26

Hair products can't repair split ends. CRACKED.COM However, products can reduce the appearance and prevent split ends. — Source

25

Different tastes can be detected on all parts of the tongue. 1 2 3 4 CRACKED.COM Some areas of taste buds may have increased sensitivities, but tongue maps have been disproved. — Source

24

Death Myth

Your hair and nails don't continue growing after you die. CRACKED.COM The skin dries up and shrinks away from the base of the hair and nails, giving the illusion of growth. — Source

23

Urine isn't sterile. CRACKED.COM Don't urinate on an injury, and don't drink your own pee, goshdarnit. — Source

22

Stretching before/after an exercise doesn't reduce muscle soreness. CRACKED COM Hey, if your doctor tells you to, listen to them, not us, though! — Source

21

The blood in your veins is never blue. CRACKED.COM De-oxygenated blood is a deeper red but appears blue because of the way our skin reflects white light. — Source

20

Drowning doesn't look like we think it does. CRACKED.COM When someone is drowning, they most likely won't thrash around like in pop culture. They're likely to show no evidence of distress. — Source

19

It's okay to eat before you swim. CRACKED.COM No studies have proven a correlation between eating and drowning. However, you shouldn't drink alcohol before swimming. — Source

18

We might just become a lion

MYTH Lions have kings (or at least alphas). TRUTH Lions don't have a hierarchy. They live in a egalitarian society. CRACKED.COM — Source

17

MYTH Opossums sleep upside down and hanging by their tails. TRUTH Only baby opossums can support their weight with their tail...and only for a few seconds. CRACKED.COM — Source

16

MYTH Polar bears and penguins live at the North Pole. TRUTH Polar bears and peguins don't live anywhere near other. Polar bears live in the Arctic Circle region, and penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere. CRACKED.COM — Source

15

MYTH Monkeys eat bananas, obviously. TRUTH Monkeys don't eat bananas like the ones in the grocery in the wild. If you feed a monkey a banana, it's nutritionally like giving them chocolate cake. CRACKED.COM — Source

14

MYTH Rabbits eat carrots, obviously. TRUTH Carrots should only be rare treats, as rabbits don't eat them in nature. Their main source of food should be hay, grass, greens, and pellets. CRACKED.COM — Source

13

MYTH Roadrunners can outrun those pesky coyotes. TRUTH Roadrunners can run up to 20 mph, but coyotes can run twice as fast. CRACKED.COM — Source

12

Ostriches

MYTH Ostriches bury their heads in the sand when they're scared. TRUTH Ostriches run (at high speeds) when they're scared. They never bury their heads. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

MYTH Hyenas are only scavengers who rely on lions to kill for them. TRUTH Hyenas are great hunters who are more likely to have their hunt stolen from them by a lion. CRACKED.COM — Source

10

Wolves

MYTH Wolves howl at the moon. TRUTH Wolves howl to communicate, day or night. CRACKED.COM — Source

9

MYTH T-Rexes had terrible vision. URASSIC PARKO TRUTH T-Rexes could see as well as a hawk or an eagle. CRACKED.COM — Source

8

MYTH Lobsters are monogamous. TRUTH Female lobsters spend up to two weeks with a mate. CRACKED.COM — Source

7

MYTH Owls can spin their heads around completely. TRUTH Owls can turn their heads 270 degrees in both directions. CRACKED.COM — Source

6

MYTH A whale could swallow an entire boat whole. TRUTH Despite its giant exterior, a blue whale's throat is only one foot wide. A sperm whale is the only whale that could physically swallow a CRACKED.COM person whole. — Source

5

MYTH A mouse's favorite food is cheese. TRUTH Mice will eat pretty much anything, but mice don't care for rich cheeses and will always go for sugary food first. CRACKED.COM — Source

4

MYTH Elephants use their trunks to drink like straws. TRUTH Elephants suck water partly in their trunk, then use it to squirt the water into their mouth. CRACKED.COM — Source

3

Lemmings

MYTH Lemmings commit mass suicide. TRUTH Disney faked a scene in their documentary White Wilderness, where the myth derives from. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

MYTH Bulls will charge anything that's the color red. TRUTH Bulls are colorblind to the color red. CRACKED.COM — Source

1

MYTH Sharks can smell blood from miles away. TRUTH Sharks can smell blood from a quarter of a mile away. CRACKED.COM — Source

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