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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Are (wild) elephants afraid of mice?

Source I have heard from people working in zoos that the myth of elephants being afraid of mice is not true. Here is a short video of a zoo elephant clearly not caring about a mouse. I don't find it surprising that such a domesticated elephant has…
Oliver_C
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Has a human ever been eaten by an anaconda?

In an article, Yes, Forcing an Anaconda to Eat a Human on TV Is a Bad Idea, the "world’s foremost expert on anacondas", Jesús Rivas claims: "The concern is that all that these shows do is to paint the snakes as the bad guys," he added. "While…
Franck Dernoncourt
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Do cats have a notable dislike of water compared to other animals?

The common knowledge goes that cats, in general, have a particular dislike of water compared to other animals. Is this true?
RomanSt
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Do Macaque monkeys steal money from wallets and use it to buy food from vending machines?

I saw this rumor on Reddit, which refers to factsanddetails.com and which doesn't indicate the information source. I saw a video of a monkey using a vending machine on College Humor, but that doesn't say whether monkeys have actually started…
Casebash
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Can elephants jump?

Are elephants capable of jumping? The Internet has no clear answer: Some say yes, some say no. Examples: Dot Physics: No Elephants are one of the few animals that can't jump. Not even a little bit. They don't like to have more than 1 foot off the…
Napoleonothecake
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Do headless chickens run around?

It's a clichè that is constantly repeated by the likes of Gordon Ramsey: You are running around like headless chickens! source Also, for example, they do in South Park animations Do headless chicken run around? After all, why wouldn't they…
Sklivvz
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Does the carrot on a stick method work on a mule?

Some idioms ("chase the carrot" / "carrot and stick") and a popular image (as shown below) suggest that you can make a mule move forward (and pull a cart), by placing a carrot or some other food hanging from a stick, in front of its face. For…
Gordon
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Under the right circumstances, can lobsters live indefinitely?

I've been reading a lot about longevity and I came up with this Wikipedia article where it states that it might be possible for lobsters to live indefinitely. Recent research suggests that lobsters may not slow down, weaken, or lose fertility with…
isJustMe
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Can kangaroos walk backwards?

Source From Exploring Nature: They cannot jump backward because of their thick, muscular tail. Their long feet and heavy tail also make walking impossible, forward or backward. The Australian 'Coat of Arms' features an Emu and a Kangaroo: …
Oliver_C
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Do spiders intentionally wear water droplets on their heads?

I discovered today that there are a lot of pictures of spiders "wearing" water drops as hats. (More research: Warning -- Spiders!) However, I can't find anything related to why they might do this. Is this some beneficial behavior common to some…
Raven Dreamer
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Did rescue St. Bernard dogs carry barrels of brandy around their necks?

We all know this from cartoons and stuff and off course it doesn't make sense today but are there any evidence that the dogs really carried barrels of brandy? I'm not sure the Wiki is saying a resounding NO: St. Bernards are often portrayed,…
john
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Is moderated livestock grazing an effective countermeasure for desertification?

In this TED talk from 2013, Allan Savory claims that livestock/cattle grazing (not industrial farming, but rather some frugal grazing of herds) help prevent and reverse desertification processes, promoting plant cover growth. The claim is also…
einpoklum
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Is this video of the Soviet Dog Revival Experiment real?

In this video a dog's head is brought back to life by artificially injecting blood and air. The dog's head reacted to sound and touch and used its tongue to taste. I am not skeptic about its possibility, but I am skeptic if it was possible in 1940. …
smUsamaShah
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Do water bottles on sidewalk/corners prevent dogs/cats from peeing?

It's very common, at least in Italy, to see bottles of water near walls in sidewalk and I've been told it's because it prevents dogs and cats from peeing on the wall. Is this actually the case and why wouldn't a dog/cat pee on it? online reference
Geeo
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Will cats eat their deceased owner, but dogs will starve to death instead?

A friend of mine is a former prosecutor for the Crown/State. He's observed that it was often harder to investigate whether a deceased person was murdered when they own cats because the cats will eat the corpse of their owner. He also observed that…
Brian M. Hunt
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