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Zoological inaccuracies & mistakes

Discussion in 'Zoo Cafe' started by Elephas Maximus, 27 Jul 2020.

  1. Elephas Maximus

    Elephas Maximus Well-Known Member

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    Couldn't find a similar thread. There is a 'General zoo misconceptions' thread but there are no pictures. Please post here pictures of mistakes in books, art, etc. with source indicated.

    King penguins with Emperor chicks
    Lievin
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    Hutschenreuther
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    Ravensden
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    Wild Republic
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    Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum
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  2. birdsandbats

    birdsandbats Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I was probably in second grade when I checked out a nonfiction picture book called "Emperor Penguins" from the library. This book explained how to tell the difference between the King and Emperor Penguins. Then I looked back at the cover and realized that it has a photo of a King Penguin. :p

    That day I had also checked out "Downy Woodpeckers" by the same publisher and discovered it had a similar issue. :eek:
     
  3. Elephas Maximus

    Elephas Maximus Well-Known Member

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    Could you please find a photo of the book cover?
    I thought finding the book about Downy Woodpeckers would help.
    First one is by Stackpole books, and there is no Emperor penguin book by this publisher.
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    Second one is by Scholastic[​IMG]
    There is a book in same series with King penguins on the cover, but it's named just 'Penguins' and it seems to be a newer edition than 'Downy woodpecker'.
    [​IMG]
    I also found this book but it can't be one you're talking about. Also I watched every image of Emperor penguin books in Google and found nothing else.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: 28 Jul 2020
  4. birdsandbats

    birdsandbats Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    It's possible those are the books and I'm just misremembering them being from the same publisher. The penguin one looks familiar, not sure about the woodpecker one, those that book does appear to have the same error.
     
  5. Elephas Maximus

    Elephas Maximus Well-Known Member

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    Long-tailed lynxes
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    Canadian lynx with normal tail in the same book
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    Toy by Chap Mei
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  6. MonkeyBat

    MonkeyBat Well-Known Member

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    I thought this said "hyraxes" and spent a solid 5 minutes looking for it :p
     

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  7. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I have seen and heard David Attenborough and Chris Packham saying that tuataras are lizards.
    I've also heard David Attenborough imply that spiders are insects.
     
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  8. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  9. Onychorhynchus coronatus

    Onychorhynchus coronatus Well-Known Member

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    Maybe it was just an omission rather than an intentional mistake ?
     
  10. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    David Attenborough mentioned tuataras in a talk in Watford and mentioned spiders on a TV programme about the Himalayas. The latter could have been edited by taking the word 'other' from the statement 'It eats other insects'.
    Chris Packham mentioned tuataras on the BBC programme 'Curious Creatures'. I have been to several radio recordings, where mistakes are edited from a programme at the end of a recording. I suspect the same is true with TV recordings. I note that Kate Humble didn't correct Chris Packham's mistake.
     
  11. Elephas Maximus

    Elephas Maximus Well-Known Member

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    By Dreamland Publications, India
    "Canada lynx" is Bobcat, "Jaguarundi" is Mountain lion, "Marble cat" is a domestic cat, and "Leopard cat" is a Snow leopard.
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    Spiders, scorpions, myriapods, ticks and daddy long legs (named spider) as insects
    "Eyed hawk moth" is some species of Saturniidae moth
    "American cockroach" is Blaberus
    "Hornet" is other wasp, presumably Polistes sp.
    "Tiger beetle" is Ground beetle
    "Bug" is Eurasian Bee Beetle
    Not a Giant dragonfly
    Simply "insect" is Pterochroza ocellata
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    By Smile Publishing, India
    Fruit bat is not a bird, ''eagle" and "falcon" are other birds of prey, and a toy kiwi
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: 1 Aug 2020
  12. birdsandbats

    birdsandbats Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Actually, that "Marble Cat" is a Leopard Cat x Domestic Cat hybrid.
     
  13. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Other common inaccuracies are that mammals evolved from reptiles and that marsupials are mammals with pouches (about 20% of species have pouchless females) and only live in Australasia and the Americas (a few live in Asia, including the bear cuscus, which occurs in a few European zoos).
     
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  14. Onychorhynchus coronatus

    Onychorhynchus coronatus Well-Known Member

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    Well to be honest it is quite disappointing to know this.

    You would think that how ancient and singular the tuatara is as a living fossil / sole surviving species of its order would be enough of a talking point / highlight to the public for raising awareness.
     
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  15. OstrichMania

    OstrichMania Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I mean I never think you should fully trust TV. They usually just cut out the 'boring' bits would could clarify the actual answer, so...yeah. Not saying it's never true, I just believe it less nowadays than everything else.
     
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  16. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I remember 4 mistakes in the original first programme in the 'Life of Mammals' series.

    I suspect that other programmes have several mistakes, but I don't notice them due to my lack of knowledge.
     
  17. Elephas Maximus

    Elephas Maximus Well-Known Member

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    This programme? List the mistakes here please
    [​IMG]
     
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  18. OstrichMania

    OstrichMania Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    The mistakes on the cover? If so, then he means the first episode of the programme.
     
  19. Dassie rat

    Dassie rat Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    No. The mistakes were in the first episode. I did an Open University course using the DVDs and the mistakes had been rectified by then.

    From memory, the mistakes were:

    Mammals evolved from reptiles
    ? All female marsupials have pouches
    Marsupials only live in Australasia and the Americas
    Thylacoleo was one of the earliest marsupials (implied in a short montage of pictures)
     
  20. OstrichMania

    OstrichMania Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Dumb person here, where else do they live?