Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [zoology]

Use this tag for questions involving animal biology; evolution, ecology, physiology, behavior, genetics, and marine biology.

Zoology the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems.

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Does chicken manure keep cats away from garden areas?

This article mentions that chicken manure can keep cats away. Chicken manure around established plants can also deter cats as they don't like the smell. Is it true?
Larry Morries
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Have pacu fish castrated people?

Supposedly In Papua New Guinea, the invasive species has reportedly earned a reputation as the "ball-cutter" after castrating a couple of local fishermen. It doesn't sound totally implausible as they feed on nuts and invertebrates, but it does…
Fizz
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Do bears get a taste for human flesh?

I'm sure I've heard similar stories regarding dogs and even hamsters, but in this Guardian story a vet says: Takeshi Komatsu, a local vet, said it was possible that the four were killed by the same bear. “After tasting human flesh (for the first…
Ken Y-N
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Has someone been killed or injured by being 'struck by a turtle'?

Sources, such as the Walked Into a Lamppost? Hurt While Crocheting? Help Is on the Way in the Wall Street Journal, say that there is a medicare code in NC for being 'stuck by a turtle'. I couldn't believe it. How is one 'struck by a turtle' when…
Steve Moser
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Is tickling a form of torture for slow lorises?

The campaign Tickling is Torture by international animal rescue campaigns against people keeping slow lorises as pets (for very good reasons). One claim they make however is that tickling is torture for slow lorises, something that they do not seem…
David Mulder
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Did a Chinese zookeeper lick a monkey's anus for an hour in order to save its life?

This gawker article claims that a zoo keeper licked a monkey's anus for an hour in order help it pass an peanut. Being too big to pass through the monkey's system naturally, the peanut had to be extracted manually. Apparently, that meant licking…
dwjohnston
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Are coffee grounds effective as a cat repellent?

It is one of those "remedies" you can find everywhere: if you have trouble with cats in your flower beds, cats leaving their droppings in your garden (or burying their poop) you should use your coffee grounds to repel them. There is a question…
Nanne
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Do orangutans rape women?

Following up from the lions-attacking-menstruating-women question, I read an account that claimed male orangutans will rape a human woman, especially if she is in menstruated. Are there verified occurrences? Example of source with this claim:…
Tyler Durden
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Can domestic cats be healthy as vegetarians?

I used to hear that dogs can be given vegetarian dog food, but that cats need meat. I'm not sure therefore how to interpret the following PETA claim about cats. Vegetarian Cats and Dogs If you have been feeding your companion animals commercial pet…
ChrisW
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Is an imminent volcanic eruption the most plausible explanation for the Yellowstone animal exodus?

According to this article, which has been circulating lately on Facebook: At Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, there is a mass animal exodus underway. Miles of buffalo can be seen running frantically from the Northwest end of the park. They are…
Flimzy
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Are the tigers at Tiger Kingdom in Phuket drugged?

The Tiger Kingdom attraction in Phuket lets you walk into the enclosure and pose for photos with real, live, full-size tigers. Man literally about to get eaten by tiger.…
Kevin Burke
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Have there been any fatalities caused by octopi?

To what extent are octopi violent towards humans? Has there been any confirmed fatalities? The source of all knowledge claims that some have the capacity to kill humans, and claims there have been documented instances of attacks but doesn't list any…
Celeritas
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Will elephant dung paper infused with flower seeds grow when planted?

According to this article there is a paper that has been infused with elephant dung and flower seeds that, if planted and watered properly, will actually grow. I guess it sounds plausible but I feel there are a lot of factors that I am not really…
aug
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Are yowies real?

According to several articles, yowies (i.e. wild, unidentified, hominids, reputed to live in Australia) have been allegedly observed by many. For example, in this Herald Sun article about a man in Canberra: , it is stated "The creature, according…
Kenshin
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Is Frontline (fipronil) an effective treatment for cat fleas?

Frontline Spot On (active ingredient fipronil) is advertised as a treatment for cat fleas: Kills fleas within 24 hours Kills fleas for up to 5 weeks in cats My mum recently went to her vet to buy some, but was told they don't sell it because it…
Tom77
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