(E.B.W.) Critter Corner: March 15/2023

30 Animals That People Are Scared Of Or Don’t Like When They Really Shouldn’t, As Shared In This Online Thread

Part 1

By Adelaide Ross & Kotryna Brašiškytė

boredpanda.com

What’s your favorite animal?..There’s an infinite number of animals out there to choose from (okay maybe not infinite, but there are millions!), but for some reason, we humans tend to be drawn to certain creatures more so than others. Why we usually prefer fluffy, soft, & squishy creatures to anything that has venom, fangs or talons, I’m not quite sure. But everyone in the animal kingdom serves a unique purpose, & each creature deserves to be celebrated.

One curious reddit user recently asked others to share what animals have bad reputations that they don’t deserve, & hundreds of commenters came out in defense of these awesome creatures. We’ve gathered some of the best responses down below, featuring misunderstood animals who get their fair share of bad publicity.

#1 Pigs

Pigs are highly intelligent animals, some outperforming 3 year old toddlers. “Pig” is used as an insult to men/ cops, but it’s a really gross comparison because they’re smart, sweet, & just wanna decorate their little area with flowers...

#2 Honey bees

People are terrified but the last thing a honeybee wants to do is sting you. They just want to work. They are gentle creatures with personality & moods.

#3 Wolves!

They help regulate buffalo, eagle, deer, & other animal’s populations. People see them as vicious, dangerous, & rabid animals... There’s only roughly 94 red wolves left in the Yellowstone National Park (located in the USA)... Wolves are now on the highly endangered animals list...

#4 Black cats

They are even more adorable than the other cats & I don't understand why they have become the most known symbol of bad luck.

#5 Possums

They are very disease resistant. They are unlikely to carry rabies, because their body temperature is too low for the rabies virus to thrive.

#6 Greyhounds

People breed them & keep them in concrete cages & abuse them & the only interactions they get is being made to chase a fluffy thing to activate their prey drive to win their owners money.

And people wonder why they're nervous dogs who chase anything resembling a bunny, including cats & small dogs...

Source: i fostered rescued racing dogs

#7 Foxes

Even in children's fairy tales, we were shown that foxes are cunning & greedy. However, in life they are like dogs with the habits of a cat & make cute sounds...

#8 Ravens

People think they're evil just because sometimes they're scavengers, & they were known to pick at bodies when public executions were still a thing, & because of that, they're forever the symbol of death & many people think they're evil.

#9 Bats

They eat more insects in one night than a spider will in a month. And they're rarely aggressive.

...Bats aren't harmless. They are a carrier of rabies, which is deadly to humans & animals alike. You should definitely be *wary of them. They are wild animals, & though they aren't usually confrontational, that doesn't make them friendly, either. All I ask is if they are not bothering you, leave them alone...

#10 Moths!

There are some absolutely gorgeous species of moths that are even prettier than butterflies. They are also pollinators.

#11 Snakes

They are trying to do their snakey thing & then some a*****e blamed them because some woman ate a piece of fruit.

#12 Sharks

Humans taste disgusting apparently & sharks prefer something with blubber like seals or whales. Sharks have very very poor eyesight so they often mistake surfers for seals (imagine someone laying down on a surf board, it looks like a seal from below) They aren’t entirely sure what humans are & sometimes they’ll do a test nibble to check. Then will go away once they realize that it’s not a seal. Unfortunately their test nibbles aren’t very gentle but also aren’t fatal as long as no major arteries were hit.

You’re more likely to be killed by a cow than a shark...

#13 Wolves

...they are vital to ecosystems & if you leave them alone they will do the same, if you save its life it'll remember years later, & its tragic they have such a huge negative stigma against them.