The biggest wildlife myths busted

BRITISH wildlife carries an extraordinary amount of folklore. Some of it is charming, some persistent, and some completely wrong. Our countryside is shaped as much by old stories as it is by ecology. Here, we’re aiming to separate fact from fiction and explain what’s really happening out there…

Are foxes more cat than dog?

There’s a common belief that foxes are more closely related to cats than dogs. They aren’t. Foxes are canids, part of the dog family, and share their ancestry with wolves, jackals and domestic dogs.

The myth survives because foxes behave in ways that feel cat‑like. They stalk, pounce, move with a flexible spine and, in some species, have vertical pupils. These similarities come from convergent evolution rather than shared ancestry. They hunt in similar ways, so they evolved similar tools.

Badgers and winter

Another widespread idea is that badgers hibernate. In reality, they remain active throughout winter. Their activity levels drop, and they may stay underground for longer stretches during severe weather, but they do not enter true hibernation. They continue to forage, maintain their territories and move around whenever conditions allow.

Deer and colour

You may have been told that that deer can only see in black and white, or that they are completely colour‑blind. They aren’t.

Deer see blues and greens well, but struggle with reds. Their vision is adapted for low light and detecting movement, not for distinguishing the full spectrum of colour.

This is why modern day hunters will often wear hi-visibility jackets in a shade known as ‘blaze orange’. It’s not just for safety reasons so that other hunters can see them clearly, it’s also because deer don’t perceive bright orange the way we do.

Through a deer’s eyes, a hi-vis orange vest is a gentle shade of light grey.

Owls and head rotation

Owls are frequently described as being able to turn their heads all the way around – a full 360 degrees. They can’t. That would be impossible for any mammal with a head attached to a spine.

What they can do is rotate their heads up to 270 degrees thanks to extra neck vertebrae and specialised blood vessels that prevent circulation from being cut off.

270 degrees is still absolutely remarkable, but not quite the full circle of animal folklore.

Adders and danger

Adders have a reputation for aggression and venomous bites. In truth, they are incredibly shy, avoid humans and bite only when threatened or accidentally stepped on.

Most bites are mild, and fatalities in the UK are exceptionally rare. The last confirmed death as the result of an adder bite was in 1975. They are Britain’s only venomous snake, but not the menace many myths suggests.

Hedgehogs and diet

Many people assume hedgehogs are strict insectivores. Yet they are very much omnivores. Their diet includes worms, beetles, slugs, fruit, eggs, carrion and, occasionally, small mammals.

They aren’t the fussy and picky eaters they’re often made out to be. In fact they are voraciously opportunistic feeders, taking whatever is available in their territory.

Ducks and cold water

Ducks are often thought to be immune to cold because of their waterproof feathers. And, while there is some truth in it, they’re not impervious to mercury-shrinking temperatures.

They do feel the cold, but they are well adapted to cope with it. Their legs use a counter‑current heat exchange system, their down provides insulation, and their outer feathers repel water. They are hardy birds, but they’d much prefer sleeping on a sunny riverbank than trying to snooze on a frozen pond.

Slowworms and snakes

Slowworms are frequently mistaken for snakes, but they are actually lizards without legs due to an evolutionary adaptation associated with burrowing and living in dense vegetation.

They have eyelids, shed their skin in patches rather than in one piece, and can drop their tails when threatened. All of these traits mark them out as lizards, not snakes.

Beavers and fish

A persistent myth claims that beavers eat fish and decimate fish populations. They don’t. Beavers are strict vegetarians, feeding on bark, leaves, aquatic plants and roots. Their ecological impact comes from engineering rivers and wetlands, not from predation.

Swans and broken arms

Perhaps the most enduring British wildlife myth is that a swan can break your arm with its wing. A swan can deliver a reasonably painful blow, but it cannot generate the force needed to break bone.

The story persists because swans are large, defensive birds and people tend to exaggerate encounters with them.

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