Common Misunderstood Animals

Snakes

Most snakes are completely harmless and only bite if threatened. Most snakes give you a warning before attacking! Most people just don't pay attention to their surroundings and don't see the snake until it is to late. Many snakes help us. They eat rats, mice, and other rodents that would destroy crops and infest our houses!

Black Widows

Black Widows have a deadly venom, but the can only harm you if they bite you. When a Black Widow bites someone, it usually does so out of self defense. Only female Black Widows are venomous. Female Black Widows have a red hourglass shape on the backend of the spider.

Wasps

What do you think of when you hear about wasps? Some people think about their stings. Wasps may sting you, but they sting you after you hit them with a newspaper, right? When a wasp stings you, it is only trying to defend itself, or the hive. Some wasps can't even sting! Wasps help us a lot. They eat the bugs that would kill our plants, or destroy and infest our house!

Sharks

One of nature’s most feared predators, sharks are generally portrayed by the media as ravenous, unfeeling jaws and teeth that happen to have animals attached to them. World-wide, however, the typical year sees under a dozen human deaths by shark attack, as opposed to thousands of deaths by drowning or other swimming accidents. Sharks are quite a bit more intelligent than most people give them credit for, and often avoid prey as unfamiliar as humans. Predation by sharks is of great importance to the health of fish populations, maintaining the balance necessary for many different species to thrive in the same environment, and they're far from brainless eating machines some species even demonstrate playful behavior sharks in captivity may even be able to be "tamed!"

Dolphins

I know what you are thinking, why are dolphins on this list? Dolphins are some of the most misunderstood animals in the world. Dolphins are portrayed as sweet, calm, and smart. However, not all dolphins are like that. Dolphins are actually very territorial. They will attack and can kill a human if they feel threatened. 

Cockroaches

Cockroaches. People think of them as nasty creatures that live in our house and have no purpose in this world. Cockroaches are actually cleaner than us humans! They may invade our home, but they also rid the world of bad bugs.

Bats

 Bats have been featured in many horror movies as terrible blood-sucking monsters that track down people to feed on their blood.  Bats are not really the monsters many people are afraid of. In fact, they rarely bother people at all! Most bats live on insects, like mosquitoes, that come out at night. A few exotic bats live on fruit. The vampire bat sucks the blood of an victim, such as a cow, for a short while before letting go and fluttering away.

Black Cats

Most people have probably heard the saying if a black cat crosses your path it is bad luck. That is not true. It is just a myth. Black cats are adorable, and just like any other cat!  

Jackals

To some people, jackals are not courageous at all. However jackals are very brave. They may be small, but they are mighty!