Spooky Pop Culture Critters:
Bats:
Bats are flying mammals, that are not, as popularly believed, related to mice. Nor do they all suck blood. In fact, most bats eat either fruit or insects. Many species of bat actually help control pest insects like mosquitoes! Vampire bats, the blood-sucking bats, are found only in central and south America. Some other central and south american bats eat fish, small vertabrates, and even other bats!
Ravens and Crows:
Although ravens and crows are often thought of as evil harbingers of doom, the facts could not be more different. Ravens and crows are among the smartest of all birds, up with parrots! They are omnivores, and can remember and recognize faces for two years! They can also communicate about this to others! We humans have so much in common with them.
Rats:
Again, we have a smart animal, although not nearly on the scale of the Ravens and Crows. Rats are much more intelligent than their cousins the mice, and can associate shapes with food, and be trained to run mazes, as is well known. Rats are associated with filth for a good reason, they are amazing in their tolorance of filth. Rats can live almost anywhere, assisted by humans. The rasponsibility for the black death had been pinned on rats, but according to many rat-lovers and the Pixar short "Your friend the Rat", the rat flea was actually responsible. I now propose a third explanation: The plague virus caused the plague, but since viruses can undoubtedly not reason, we cannot really "Blame" anyone.
Spiders:
For the first time yet, we have here a creature that often deserves it's reputation as a terror. Although many, including myself, point out the Red-kneed Tarantula, a creature that can be docile and makes a good pet, as an exception. However, although mos spider venom cannot kill humans, many species are lethal. The black widow and Australian Funnel-web spider are among the most lethally venomous spiders on earth. Scientific studies and Mythbusters have shown that the common myth of the Daddy Longlegs spider is false; the spiders fangs can penetrate human skin and the venom is almost totally harmless. However, it is important to remember that most spiders will run before they attack.
Werewolves:
Contrary to popular belief, werewolves are in fact, real! Just Kidding!
Other Scary Critters:
Cone Snail:
Cone Snails may look harmless, but in fact, these small ocean mollusks are in fact deadly. Many have toxic bites that can kill a human.
Stingray:
Stingrays are scary in that they have spines up to a meter long that can cause serious damage to anyone that treads on them. In my opinion, the really scary thing about them is that they are hidden in the sand until it is too late.
Hippopotamus:
Contrary to popular belief, lions are not the most dangerous animals in Africa. Nor are crocodiles. Not leopards either. In fact, the most human deaths in Africa are caused by the malarial mosquito. After that, it's probably the Tsetse fly, the primary carrier of sleeping sickness. However, the most dangerous large animal is the hippopotamus. Hippos can run surprisingly fast, and are highly aggressive. Their huge jaws can bite crocodiles in half, and if you get between a hippo and the water, you're in big trouble. Strangely, hippos occationally behave in a very different manner. A behavior first documented in the PBS|Nature episode Capturing the Killer Croc, hippos will gently lick the hide of a dead animal, in the case in Killer Croc, a cow. They then lay down around the calf, in what has been compared to a funeral rite.
The second most dangerous large animals in Africa are Cape Buffalo.
Thanks for reading, and happy Halloween!
