Top Ten Most Misunderstood Animals

People die more often by toilets than by sharks. Seriously... I'm not making this up.

Sharks don't kill humans because they are mean, they sometimes think they are seals. Also, we pull their fins off and leave them to die in the ocean so we can make soup. #PAYBACK - ToptenPizza

Actually, nowadays there is evidence that sharks don't mistake humans for seals, as they attack humans in a totally different way to seals. - Flamesofsilver

I have mentioned this in another list, but yeah, sharks are seriously misunderstood. It is probably down to film portrayals, their appearance and perhaps their attitude towards their offspring in most species, but most people probably only consider the last two because they compare them to humans (I don't know whether this is true, I'm just guessing).

The odds of being accepted at Harvard are higher than a shark attack. - VanessaAmezcua

Why do gorillas represent violence? I mean, they are very gentle and rarely start violence, when they pound their chest it's to seem tough, but they don't want to fight. Watch the YouTube video "KoKo the gorrila cries over loss of kitten" - ToptenPizza

Gorillas are endangered because of trophy hunting even though they have almost never hurt anyone despite their immense power

Get This
Human DNA Is The Same As The Great Apes (Gorillas Are One Of Them) 98% Of The Time So It's A Bit Wired To Not Be Able To Understand Them. - 12cc

Gorillas are people too

I find it ironic that the predator in a story is the bad guy, considering most of the population isn't a vegetarian or a vegan. The big bad wolf is bad for eating pigs, but we eat pigs. Anyway, wolves rarely attack humans, and are very loyal. - ToptenPizza

Wolves yup there comes the wolf to eat them there not that deadly they only attack when threatened I hate that wolves are always the animal that attacks the hero like in stories they will kill everyone and the hero and kill everything and the predator that does is always wolf they look like careless animals but there not they love there youngs and care a lot about them

Actually wolves are the bad guys in stories for a reason. Wolves are dangerous creatures and as intelligent as they are they can kill a human. I love wolves and they are one of my favorite animals but they aren't as misunderstood as people think. Like I said they are dangerous and it is best to keep your distance from one. - RiverClanRocks

Yeah but at the same time the only time they attack is when they feel threatened - donovanthorn

I'm a wolf therian and I find it really upsetting that wolves are viewed as vicious and savage. They are highly intelligent, gorgeous animals. They are the embodiment of freedom.

Snakes are amazing animals and are highly under estimated and are considered as "evil" and "devilish" but really, a snake is just like you and me, a living creature with thoughts and feelings. Not to mention they make brilliant pets. (Not the venomous one star of corse! ) Snakes are amazing and people also think they are ugly and slimy. You will be surprised to hold one, they have smooth scales and they are beutiful creatures, not ugly. Mammals are not the only animals that are "cute" all animals are brilliant and unique in their own way. And snakes, are one of the most greatest animals on earth. And snakes do not bite, unless if they think they are being harmed. They don't care about harming humans! They are the same as any other animal!

I see why people think snakes are dangerous. They can be fatal in one bite and eat their pray whole, I think that's a bit scary. But saying they are all mini versions of the devil or are all evil is just childish. You can say that dogs slobber, because it's a proven physical trait, not a personality one. Imagine if every human had the same personality, well, we are saying that is true to snakes. I love how cunning and fast they are, but they aren't mean. I had a pet snake that escaped a lot that was very active but not evil. Saying snakes are evil without even owning one is just childish, so please stop.

Snakes are not ugly or stupid, they are very beautiful and intelligent creatures. Not all of them are mean, or even harmful. Many snakes are real sweethearts, stop generalizing and saying all snakes are evil or something, because they're not! - starlightsong

I have a Ball Python. She is so docile. Not all snakes are aggressive. They don't deserve this hate. - VanessaAmezcua

Mice are not dirty little rodents, they are actually intelligent. No one is too small to matter, they are natural students who excel at learning and understanding concepts, they have excellent memories, once rats learn a navigation route, they never forget it. Mice and rats are also highly social animals. They become attached to each other, love their own families, and easily bond with their human guardians. They make sounds similar to giggling when having fun. But who cares about rats and mice, right? - ToptenPizza

Joey's Rattata will wreck you. - MrQuaz680

They are cute, not ugly as most people say. - Oliveleaf

So adorable and cute

Poor porcupines no one likes them, they don't try to prick you, Derek Small, the director of Wildlife Encounters Zoo says that this is not true. A porcupine cannot shoot its poisonous quills, but it can definitely release them into the face of some animal that starts sniffing it a little too close. - ToptenPizza

I love porcupines! They are so cute and their quills are only there to defend them against predators who want to eat them!

I think spiders are pretty cool and some are actually harmless. They're useful because they prey on nasty, harmful insects like mosquitos and flies that carry disease. If it weren't for spiders, then we would have a problem.

Honestly, there is nothing dangerous about them, unless you saw, say, a tarantula or a black widow. They protect your homes from other, more harmful insects, and you repay them by killing and fearing them. Another reason the human race is stupider than spiders.

Yea they are really nice creatures but... You gotta admit they look creepy. But that's no reason to smack them on site.

Spiders are very cool in my opinion.

It's all The Lion King's fault that hyenas have gotten such a horrible reputation and I thought the old folk stories of the past had it bad enough. Hyenas are often mistaken as henchmen or a species exclusive to the villain side because of this movie. For a change, I rather see a good guy/gal that is a hyena instead of another villain that's one. In reality, hyenas are intelligent and excellent hunters who hunt their own prey most of the time and it's usually the lions who scavenge from hyenas more often than the other way around (No offense to lion lovers, just telling the truth).

You know what is sad? Some people actually defend the bad reputation of hyenas, saying stuff like "they make good villains", or "hyena biologists are acting ridiculous", or "we must follow folk traditions since the 'evil hyena' stereotype has been used before so it must be kept being used again and again for generations" or other crud I don't care about. I know fiction is fiction, but The Lion King has been a horrible influence on peoples' views on the animals. Fans of the bad hyenas in The Lion King and The Lion Guard are not true hyena lovers.

Hyenas are my favorite animals. At least they don't kill their kids, like lions!

Only the male lions do this and it's when they take over another pride they never kill their own young but if it's another male's offspring... - Katekat123

Hyenas may seem ugly and nasty but really they are taking care of the savanna by cleaning ( eating ) dead carcass that other animals left over

Yes, while Hitler, Stalin, and Vlad the Impaler were all humans we shouldn't forget that Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Mother Teresa were also humans. While in most talking animal films humans are either portrayed as pure evil or stupid, in reality most humans are normal people trying to live normal lives.

Humans are jerks.

They kill off entire species! - DragonFires

Did you guys know that there is no law against performing experiments on rats, no matter how painful? Let's say I wanted to cut off a bunch of rats' heads to see how long it took them to die. No law against it. They are just as cute as other rodents like hamsters and Guinea pigs. Rats are way smarter than them, too. You say they're dirty? You would stink too if you lived in sewers. Why do they live in sewers, you might ask. It's because they have nowhere else to go. Cities are to big for people to walk across, imagine how it is for rats! Rats are the only animal besides humans that have been known to laugh (for the right reason). The Bubonic Plague was caused by fleas, not rats. The fleas simply bit the rats. Then the rats bit the humans that were trying to exterminate them.

Sometimes we have to experiment on them scientists are performing new cancer medicines and seeing if they can grow back body parts for the animal. It's not animal abuse we just don't want to risk a human life over a rat's - Katekat123

I also blame executive meddling for trying to make rats the evil version of mice. In fact, if a story or such happens to feature either a heroic rat or a villainous mouse, someone might want to change it to fit the old, outdated and ridiculous stereotype. Remember Chuck E. Cheese? He was originally a rat but was changed to a mouse in the later years. Or how about the Mouse King villain in The Nutcracker? Andrey Konchalovskiy changed him into the "Rat King" in his feature film version of the story because he could not accept a mouse as a villain due to Mickey Mouse's popularity and iconic status. I find that to be ridiculous. Artists and such should be able to have the freedom to design whatever characters they want without someone having to change it for them.

They are so intelligent as well as adorable, plus an ability to develop morality, the bad rep only really comes from the plague, which was the fleas that caused it not rats, if they didn't live on the rats they would've found another creature to live on...

Rats should be far higher. They should be at least #3. They always get such a bad reputation when domestic rats are some of the cleanest and friendly little things you will ever meet. And it was NOT rats that caused bubonic plague. It was the fleas on the rats that did.

Especially the black cats and Persian cats.

Cats are not evil and they are devoted to their owners

They're often hated for looking "ugly" or having a "smooshed face", when they, like the black cats, can be as good and well cared for as any other cat.

Cats are cute.

They look like the picture on land. Underwater, they supposedly look much cuter. Blobfish look the way they do because they need that type of body for the pressure. When it's underwater, where all the pressure is, it looks near-enough like a completely normal fish. - LemonComputer

Blowfish aren't that ugly. They're actually pretty cute. - Oliveleaf

Blobfish are hated because of how different they look. I honestly think they are adorable - FavoriteFightingFrenchman

Ha ha this creature looks funny.

Thousands of ants are dying each day. When people keep killing ants, it's actually really mean, because they can't do anything but try to run away. Imagine there are these giants who keep smashing everyone. That's probably exactly how ants are feeling. - Oliveleaf

I feel bad for ants. Us giant humans are always attacking them even when they aren't bothering us. Imagine living as an ant! It's terrible! - FavoriteFightingFrenchman

I find them interesting. - LemonComputer

They bite you when you attack them.(all they want is food.)