Imagine it's a crisp and sunny fall morning. You just left your local coffee shop, ready to start your day. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch a glimpse of something moving in the bushes.
Is it a squirrel stashing acorns for the winter? A robin fattening up for migration? As you get closer, the image becomes clear and you unconsciously hold your breath. It's a black cat out for its morning stroll. You pause for a second to decide your next move.
Cross the street so the cat can't cross your path? Muster the courage to walk past it, or even crouch down to pet it? Rationally, you know the idea that a black cat is bad luck is just a silly superstition ...
but you have an important meeting this afternoon and don't want to jinx it. This superstition about black cats and other black animals in general has shaped people's preferences about animals. It's left its mark on things such as lower adoption rates for black cats and beliefs that black cats are more aggressive.
Yet, these biases are unfounded. As two biologists who focuson human-wildlife interactions, what we find scary is how superstitions, lore and myths can shape your subconscious – particularly biases toward the animals people are trying to conserve and protect. Rarity of a solely black or white animal Of course, animal fur, feathers and scales come in various colors across the visible and invisible-to-humans spectrum.
These colorations play a significant role in the survival of wildlife by functioning as a form of.
