Halloween. There’s something about darkness, mystery, and suspense that revolves around this holiday that celebrates the dead. From folklore to the present day, creepy animal myths circulates through time and different cultures from around the world are one of the many things that parents pass to their children from generation to generation. Often these animal myths make good stories around a camp fire or make for good story telling best told in the dark. Here are some cool and scary Halloween animals myths.
Myth #1: Owls are a prognostic of death.
Photo by jitze
Owls are known to be night predators, that sleep all day and hunt at night. It is said that if you see an owl in the day time, death will come soon. They’re wailing hoots or screeches are all signs death is near where in some cultures the only way to prevent this death is by hanging a dead owl outside the door.
Myth #2: Daddy Long-leg spider bites are the deadliest of all!
Photo by JR Guillaumin 
Daddy long legs are probably the most common spiders found in households. Well, depending on where you live I guess. An observation was made that these spiders sometimes eat Red-back spiders, which are VERY poisonous. Well since Red-backs are already poisonous spiders, the assumption people made was that Daddy long-leg spiders must be even MORE poisonous.
Myth #3: Vampire bats are blood sucking creatures
Photo by stanzebla
We’ve all seen a movie or show based on vampires. Lately every show seems to be about vampires. This myth came from old horror movies. The Vampire Bat, which traces back to 1933, based on a small town in Germany where numerous amounts of people report and die from a giant and mysterious vampire attack. Turns out it was a doctor who created a life form that demanded blood for its continued growth.
Vampire bats do indeed exist. The mostly live in tropical regions like Central and South America. These animals feed off of small amounts of animal blood. They use their small sharp teeth to slice and collect blood. They don’t latch on and actually suck blood. It has also been proven that they don’t turn animals or people into vampires.
Myth #4: Black moths/butterflies are an omen of death
Photo by flying_penguins_of_doom
This myth is very similar to the owl myth, but much deeper. This myth actually crosses over many cultures and religions that there are several versions and symbols to it. One word. Black. It is such an empowering symbol in many countries and usually associated with fear, death, mourning, mystery, and, the unknown.
In some parts of the world, black butterflies can symbolize rebirth of something or someone, positive change or transition. While in other countries, like Central America, Philippines, and China, black butterflies cause great fear because of the symbolic meaning they hold – Death. In these countries the presence of a black butterfly means a death will occur in a household. Also, after death a black butterfly will appear.
There is another portion of this myth that has to do whether you kill the butterfly or let it live. Some say you have to kill it before it gets away to prevent the death it will bring, while others believe you must let it live in order for another person to live as well.
