This Or That: 4 Look-Alike Animals We Normally Mistake For One Another

There are millions of animal species enjoying different habitats in the world. Out of the number, dozens look very similar, and we normally confuse one for another. Here are some of them.

Buffalo and Bison

Many people confuse buffalo and bison for one another due to their striking similarities. But they can easily be differentiated with some physical features. That aside, the geographical location can also serve as a clue.

Buffalo is predominant in Africa and Asia, while bison are mostly found in Europe and North America. In terms of their physical features, bison has short horns, big head, and more hairs compared to buffalo. The buffalo has long horns and short hairs suitable for the African and Asia climate.

Black Panthers

Unlike cougars, jaguars, cheetahs, leopards, tigers, etc., which are mostly located in specific geographical locations, the Black Panther can appear anywhere so far as there are big cat species. This is because black panthers are actually any other big cat species suffering melanism.

So the black panther you see can be a leopard or a jaguar with excess black pigment. You can only identify their difference with a critical analysis of their fur.

Shrimps and Prawns

We mostly mistake prawns for shrimps and vice versa due to their striking similarities. Being a class of Decapoda crustaceans, both have ten legs. However, prawn is usually larger than shrimp, and their body segments overlap one another due to their curved nature.

With the shrimp, the second segment overlaps the first and third segments. Also, a shrimp has a crown on the first two claws, while a prawn has it on the first three.

Butterfly and Moth

Butterflies and moths are another pair of confusing animals but can be easily identified in different ways. One of the ways to identify them is their resting positions. While the moth rests with its wings open, a butterfly closes its wings when resting. A butterfly only opens its wings when sunbathing. Also, a moth tends to be generally dull in appearance as compared to a butterfly.

You can also confuse these animals: bees/wasps, rabbits/hares, seals/sea lions, opossums/possums, and crocodiles/alligators, among others.