Owls Aren’t Wise and Bats Aren’t Blind

Spring is here, and it seems everyone is outside enjoying nature. As you sit under that freshly greened tree and ponder the world around you, you may wonder about some of the old maxims concerning the animals that share our environment. Warner Shedd has written an easy-to-read and thoroughly fascinating book that may enlighten you about some common fallacies. This treasure of over 100 debunked myths contains beautifully detailed illustrations by Trudy Nicholson and a multitude of fascinating animal facts. Here are just a few examples: Porcupines have orange teeth; beavers do not pack mud with their tails; raccoons do not wash their food before eating it; and a moose can travel 44 feet per second (hardly the slow-moving creature many believe it to be). Also, I was amazed to find out that a polar bear’s fur isn’t really white. "The center of each hair conducts light, much like a fiberoptic strand. Some of this light filters through the translucent outer part of the hair, making it appear white, although it doesn’t have pigment to make it truly white." Published by Harmony Books of New York, this book is currently available in hardback for $23 and will be available in paperback for $14 in July.