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verybody knows that bunnies eat carrots, right? Wrong.
In the wild, rabbits do not often dig up root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes and beets. They actually much prefer to eat wild greens such as grasses and clover.
In fact, carrots may even be bad for rabbits.
Although the vegetables are high in good nutrients such as beta carotene, they are also pretty sweet. That means they are high in sugar.
So this means that feeding a rabbit lots of carrots could be bad for them. It could lead to teeth cavities or other health issues.
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Another one has to do with bears. A lot of people think that bears are bloodthirsty predators that regularly stalk and kill prey.
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Image 2. A bear like 480 Otis will patiently wait for hours to catch up to 40 salmon per day at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Photo by: NPS/N. Boak
In real life, that is far from the truth.
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Rivet said they do see bears eating big animals such as elk, bison and more. However, she said most of those animals were not killed by the bears. Instead, they were either killed by wolves or they just did not survive the winter.
Rivet said black bears and brown bears in the United States and Canada eat mostly plants. About 80 percent of the things they eat are actually made up of plants. This includes dandelions and grasses. It can also include blueberries, strawberries and huckleberries. It can vary according to what is in season.
Grizzlies are a type of brown bear. They like to spend their days turning over rocks looking for a specific type of moth called army cutworm moths.
In some places like Yellowstone National Park, the bears may sniff around for a red squirrel's secret stash of pine nuts.
"So the bears aren't actually just going around and murdering things all the time," Rivet said. "They'll eat anything. Mosses, fungus, they'll eat mushrooms. Bears aren't picky."
Many people know that the bears of Alaska get a lot of calories each year from salmon. But did you know they also enjoy other types of seafood?
"These bears will actually go out into the tidal plains when the tide is out, and they'll dig up clams," Rivet said. "Loads of clams. Loads of moths. They have to eat tons and tons of these things to actually gain enough weight to get ready for winter."
In addition to rabbits and bears, a lot of other animals eat things we do not typically associate with their kind.
Acorns, Nuts — And Mushroom Jerky
Everybody knows squirrels love acorns and nuts. What people may not know is that these small furry creatures also create a sort of mushroom jerky. They do that by hanging fungi on tree branches to dry it out.
Pandas are famous for their love of bamboo. However, did you know they also eat dead animals? They will nibble on rotting carcasses if they get the chance.
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Also, not all mosquitoes suck your blood. Only half do. It is only the female mosquitoes that drink blood. They need the protein to produce eggs.
Scientists have also found that the bonnethead or shovelhead shark gets some of its nutrients from eating seagrass. These sharks are a type of hammerhead shark. They are often seen as scary carnivores, too.
All of this kind of makes you wonder what other "fun facts" about animals we have gotten wrong all these years.