We all know about mythical animals, like the unicorn, Sasquatch and Loch Ness Monster.

But the Humane Society of the United States says many long-held “facts” about common wild animals are just as mythical. The society recently released a list of such misconceptions about wild animals.

¢ Feeding bread to geese and ducks is a wonderful family activity. In fact, bread offers no nutritional value to birds, can cause a debilitating condition called “angel wing” and can cause dependence among ducklings and goslings.

¢ If you find a fawn alone, it has been orphaned. Does often “park” babies in one place and visit only a few times a day to avoid attracting predators.

¢ If you touch a baby bird, the parents will abandon it. In fact, the best thing to do if a baby bird falls from its nest is to put him back in. Birds have a limited sense of smell, so the human contact doesn’t make a difference.

¢ If you see a raccoon during the day, it must be rabid. Though normally nocturnal, raccoons are opportunistic and will appear whenever food is around.

¢ If you get close to a skunk, you’ll get sprayed. Skunks only spray to defend themselves and can’t “reload” very fast, so it takes a major threat for them to spray.

¢ Bats get tangled up in your hair if they fly near you. Bats’ sonar-like system keeps them from being in your hair, which is a place they really don’t want to be.

¢ Cats belong outdoors and it’s not fair to keep them inside the house. Indoor cats lead a longer and healthier life because they’re not exposed to the perils of the outside world.

¢ Possums are vicious and rabid. Possums are actually resistant to rabies, probably because of their low body temperature.

¢ Canada geese stick around because they forgot how to migrate. Many of the geese living in the United States year-round are descendants of captive-bred geese introduced by wildlife agencies more than 50 years ago for hunters. They never knew how to migrate.