What is the most misunderstood animal?

Each of these creatures carries a reputation bigger than the facts, thanks to folklore, a horror film or one bad headline.

1. 1
   Bat

   Feared as a spooky blood-sucker, yet most bats eat insects or pollinate plants.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Tarantula

   A hairy spider that terrifies people yet is generally docile and harmless to humans.
   897pts
3. 3
   Spotted Hyena

   Painted as a cowardly scavenger, yet it kills most of its own food.
   718pts
4. 4
   Turkey Vulture

   Seen as a grim omen, but a vital cleaner that stops carcasses spreading disease.
   538pts
5. 5
   Gray Wolf

   The big bad wolf of fairy tales, in reality a shy, family-based hunter.
   538pts
6. 6
   Pigeon

   Called a rat with wings, yet a former war hero and one of the best navigators alive.
   538pts
7. 7
   Domestic Pig

   A byword for dirt and greed, yet intelligent and clean when given space.
   538pts
8. 8
   Aye-Aye

   A Madagascan lemur treated as a death omen because of its long, bony finger.
   538pts
9. 9
   Virginia Opossum

   Dismissed as vermin, yet it eats ticks and rarely carries rabies.
   418pts
10. 10
    American Crow

    Linked with death and bad luck, yet one of the smartest birds on Earth.
    418pts
11. 11
    Great White Shark

    Cast as a man-eater by Jaws, yet humans are not its prey and unprovoked bites are rare.
    0pts
12. 12
    Pit Bull

    A dog type with a fearsome reputation that many owners know as an affectionate family pet.
    0pts
13. 13
    Orca

    Named the killer whale, yet there is no confirmed fatal attack on a human in the wild.
    0pts
14. 14
    Brown Rat

    Blamed for filth and plague, yet clever, social and remarkably clean.
    0pts
15. 15
    Coyote

    Painted as a sneaky pest, yet it controls rodent numbers across North America.
    0pts

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