Beastly Misconceptions
- Животные
- 10 episodes
- 2023
How often do we fear harmless animals, while creatures that are deadly to us seem completely harmless and nonthreatening? The project Beastly Misconceptions will not only debunk many persistent myths about various living creatures but also reveal unexpected facts that are hard to believe.
Hosts
Episodes
The Respected and the Despised Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
If you call a person a worm or a dog, they will likely be offended. Yet, the earthworm is perhaps the most useful animal in the world, creating the humus layer of soil without which many plants cannot survive. Similarly, the dog is humanity’s oldest and most faithful friend, its reliability tested over millennia. With help from scientists — biologists, psychologists, and linguists — we try to understand why some animals have earned such respect that they become national symbols, appearing on coats of arms and coins, while others are undeservedly despised despite the great benefits they bring.
The Fast and the Slow Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
How often do we use idioms like “fast as a horse” or “slow as a tortoise”? In fact, a horse wouldn’t even make it to the finals among hooved animals — nilgai, gazelles, saigas, and goitred gazelles would leave it far behind. Regarding turtles, sea turtles can reach speeds of over 30 km/h, and some land species can move quite swiftly as well. The film challenges our habitual misconceptions and presents interesting and unexpected facts about animals such as horses, sighthounds, dolphins, turtles, sloths, and snails.
Dangerous and Harmless Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
<html>How often do we fear animals that are not actually dangerous, while creatures that pose a mortal threat often seem completely harmless and unscary? A film from the <i>BEASTLY MISCONCEPTIONS</i> project debunks many myths influenced by adventure novels of the past and the sensationalism of the “yellow press”. Who would believe that if a shark swims past you in the ocean, there are 999 chances out of a thousand that it couldn’t care less about a lone human? Yet, the fear of a black fin in the waves, created in just a few generations, has become ingrained on a “genetic level”. Viewers will learn which “scary beasts” belong to the realm of needless fears and which seemingly harmless creatures are responsible for hundreds of thousands of human deaths.</html>
Fidelity and Betrayal Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
<html>“Swanlike fidelity”, “they coo like doves”, “doglike loyalty,” “breed like rabbits” — how many animal-related idioms do we use to emphasize qualities such as marital fidelity, strong friendship, lust, or fickleness? The film examines each of these stereotypes scientifically, with the help of biologists, psychologists, and linguists. It turns out that a swan will not mourn a lost mate but will quickly find a new one; a dove changes partners every year; and rabbits do not breed chaotically but can demonstrate heroic restraint in hard times. These and other interesting, unexpected facts about wildlife are featured in the latest episode of the <i>Beastly Misconceptions</i> project.</html>
The Long-Lived and One-Day Wonders Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
Myths about the longevity of certain animals are fueled not only by proverbs and sayings but also by literary images. For example, the cobra mother from the Mowgli story and the ancient tortoise from the Little Nemo cartoon — both are believed to have lived for centuries. But what is the reality? Viewers will be surprised to learn that crows do not live 100 years but typically only 20–30 years at most. Long-lived tortoises are as rare as humans who live past a hundred, and the one-day butterfly actually lives more than a year — albeit without wings. Alexander Khaburgaev not only dispels myths and legends about animals but also investigates the origins of such misconceptions.
Useful and Harmful Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
How often do we categorize all living creatures on our planet into just two groups — “useful” and “harmful” — based, of course, on our purely human and often selfish considerations? Viewers will be surprised to learn how much damage seemingly positive and useful members of the fauna actually cause them, and how villainous even the sweetest creatures, like woodpeckers and hedgehogs, can be! Without cockroaches and termites, forests would begin to wither. Although cockroaches feed on human leftovers, they do not transmit dangerous diseases. Meanwhile, our beloved starlings devastate many orchards and vineyards to such an extent that it’s best not to discuss their role in controlling harmful insects in southern Europe. Myths about which creatures are beneficial or harmful are debunked by well-known scientists — including zoologists, ornithologists, psychologists, and even a professor of linguistics.
Workers and Idlers Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
<html>Ants, bees, horses — these representatives of fauna symbolize diligence and industry, right? But few consider that the horse actually works “under the whip” because humans force it to labour. In an ant colony, as scientists recently discovered, two-thirds of the ants do nothing at all; they simply run back and forth and feed on what the one-third of the true workers gather. Additionally, in Krylov’s famous fable, the grasshopper, in Aesop’s original, turned out not to be a grasshopper at all. These and many other revelations await in this episode of the<i> Beastly Misconceptions </i>series with Alexander Khaburgaev.</html>
Good Guys and Villains Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
<html>If you ask anyone to name several evil animals offhand, the top five will probably include the wolf, crocodile, viper, or shark. But are you sure they are truly evil? And what do we mean by “evil” and “good” when we talk about animals? This question is explored in this segment of the series <i>Beastly Misconceptions</i>, which features well-known scientists, doctors of science, and professors — a psychologist, a philologist, and, of course, biologists. The other part of the film debunks myths about “good” animals, such as the elephant, the woodpecker, and the dolphin. Viewers will learn: who made the woodpecker a kind forest doctor; whether all dolphins are as cheerful and friendly as the famous Flipper; and why elephants so often attack people both in the wild and in captivity.</html>
Brave and Cowardly Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
<html>How often do we label animals as “brave” or “cowardly” without considering that these are purely human concepts? In the wild, it’s more appropriate to use different terms. For example, we describe the excessive caution of potential prey as “cowardice”, and the decisive actions of a predator during a hunt or in fights with conspecifics for territory as “bravery”. If you look closely at the lifestyles of various animals, you'll be surprised to discover that a hare is not at all a coward; that cobras often defeat and eat mongooses more than the other way around; that the lion is not necessarily the bravest king of beasts; and that the hyena — which seems to us to crouch cowardly on its hind legs — is actually an insolent and fearless creature, capable of stealing prey even from lions or leopards. So, who is the bravest animal? And where can we find the most cowardly member of the animal kingdom? Watch the new episode of the <i>Beastly Misconceptions </i>series with Alexander Khaburgaev to find out!</html>
Sages and Simpletons Dubbing on request Subtitles available (Russian)
Beastly Misconceptions • 2023 • 26 minutes
Almost everyone believes in myths such as the fox being cunning, the crow wise, the donkey stubborn, and the monkey — worse yet — a foolish clown. However, today we will examine these misconceptions from a scientific perspective, and the reality is sure to surprise you!