20+ animals that do not deserve a bad reputation - and are worthy of attention (30 photos)

The animal kingdom is amazing and vast. But among the animals and birds there are those who have earned a controversial reputation among us people. There have long been nicknames like "rat", "fox", "pig", and negative cultural images that only show some animals in a negative light. Let's find out which animals are most underrated and which ones deserve more attention.





The bats



One bat eats about 1 thousand insects per night. By the way, the largest colony of bats is in Texas, and it amounts to 20-40 million individuals. Imagine how many pests this whole gang eats.

Hyenas





In culture, hyenas are shown in a negative light, but these animals deserve more attention. Interesting fact: there is a very strong hierarchy in a pack of hyenas. Puppies born from the female head of the pack receive her high status by inheritance while she remains the leader.

Rats



Rats are amazing creatures with a high level of intelligence. It’s not for nothing that they are the first to flee a sinking ship. Unfortunately, they are also often used in various experiments because they are similar to humans on a social level.

Octopuses



The intelligence level of octopuses is very high. For example, they can build shelters for their offspring from scrap materials, and also remember complex “maps” of the surrounding landscape.

Crows



"Very smart birds. People look at them as useless - but this is not true at all. Once I was working on a farm, and I saw a crow open the door to the chicken coop. I closed it, but after a while the same crow came back opened the door. When I went into the chicken coop, I saw a huge snake there, as if it was trying to help the chickens and give me a sign.”

Cows



Cows are sweet, kind and very smart creatures. On average, a dairy cow produces about two hundred thousand glasses of milk throughout her life.

Bees



Bees are now endangered, but they are an important part of our ecosystem. Without honey bees, most vegetation would die due to lack of pollination.

Opossums



These funny animals feed on ticks and pests, and are also resistant to rabies.

Owls



Owls keep rodent populations under control. And of course, they are very beautiful!

Raccoons



The cutest creatures who have a controversial reputation. However, raccoons are quite smart animals. Interesting fact: in case of danger, the mother raccoon has about 12 holes for emergency relocation of her cubs.

Donkeys



According to scientists, donkeys were widely used as farm animals for more than 5,000 years until they were gradually replaced by horses.

Jerzy



In some countries, hedgehogs are considered an endangered species. In recent years, more and more hedgehogs are moving from forests to cities. According to scientists, this is due to the fact that the main enemies of hedgehogs - owls and badgers - are found in the forests.

Spiders



Many people are afraid of spiders - but only a small part of all types of poisonous spiders are dangerous to humans. These include, for example, karakurt, common in the south. In addition, spiders eat many pests.

Turkey Vulture



This bird, native to North and South America, feeds mainly on carrion, naturally cleaning up the environment. Even if a vulture eats the flesh of a sick animal, it will not contract any diseases. In addition, turkey vultures live in a pack, and are attached to their packmates until death.

Pitbulls



Pit bulls have a bad reputation, however, these dogs are widely used in search and rescue work and as therapy dogs. They visit nursing homes and also help people with PTSD. Pit bulls are great with children.

Orangutan



Orangutans are considered evil and ferocious. But they are smart and amazing monkeys with quite high intelligence. Over the past 75 years, the number of orangutans has decreased by 4 times, which is associated with environmental pollution, deforestation and illegal trapping.

Pigs



The word "pig" is used to describe bad and sloppy people. But these cute creatures deserve more attention! By the way, according to scientists, the emotions of pigs are very similar to human ones.

Chicken



Each chicken has its own unique character. They can be kind, caring, secretive or outgoing, greedy or generous, and even selfish. They also have complex social structures within groups.

Squirrels



In a day, a squirrel can stock up on nuts from hundreds of pine cones - then it feeds on them for several months.

Pigeons



Although many people consider pigeons to be useless and dirty birds, in many countries the pigeon is considered the bird of peace. They have excellent memory, so they were often used as messenger birds. Pigeons choose one mate for life, and they can live up to 20 years.

Sharks



Contrary to the widespread myth about the danger of sharks, they occupy one of the last places on the list of marine life potentially dangerous to humans.

Skunks



Skunks are known for their terrible smell - but they only spray it for protection in case of danger.

Shoebill



Many people are afraid of one species, the shoebill (or royal heron), but it is an amazing bird. It was discovered in 1849, and thanks to its large beak, the shoebill is a skilled fisherman.

Lions



These majestic predators inspire admiration. By the way, males and females in a pride have their own responsibilities - the main responsibility of the male is to protect the territory, while the females take care of the offspring and hunt.

Foxes



Foxes have a reputation for being cunning animals and are often portrayed in a bad light in culture. These are amazing and very smart creatures.

Pangolins



Pangolins receive undeservedly little attention. These planental mammals are in danger of extinction, but no one even protects them.

Rhinoceroses



Now hunting rhinoceroses is prohibited in all countries where they are found. There are not many of them in nature. The greatest value for poachers is rhinoceros horn - they are used for precious items and in medicine.

Guinea pigs



Back in the 5th millennium BC, guinea pigs were domesticated by the Incas. Some peoples deified and worshiped guinea pigs. Today they are kind and sociable pets. They can remember their name, love to sit in your arms and even purr.

Gorillas



Gorilla DNA is more than 95% similar to human DNA. They are very strong primates and can live on average up to 50 years.