A Geoffroy's Monk Saki is seen at the Parque de Las Leyendas zoo in Lima, Peru, February 14, 2018. (Photo by Guadalupe Pardo/Reuters)

Once upon a time a myth was born that insects, unlike animals, are just a machines that not capable of learning and survive only based on their instincts. That myth has become the widespread opinion. Of course, this opinion is indeed erroneous, like many other widespread opinions. Let us try to find out which part is a myth and which part is true.

A rose chafer in Oxfordshire, UK on July 8, 2024. The beetles are often seen on flowers in the garden and are sometimes maligned for munching their way through these plants. However, they are an important detritivore as they feed on dead and decaying matter and recycle its nutrients, which makes a helpful addition to any compost. (Photo by Geoffrey Swaine/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Flamingos preparing to take flight are reflected on Lake Tuz, which hosts thousands of flamingos every year, in Ankara, Turkiye, on June 24, 2025. This year, the lake has seen a decline in flamingo numbers due to drought, prompting the birds to shift their migration route to other wetlands across Turkiye. (Photo by Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A Southwest Airlines jet takes off from Reagan National Airport with a thunderhead to the east on June 20, 2017 in Alexandria, VA. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

A dog named Rama surfs a wave off Sydney's Palm Beach with its owner, Australian dog trainer and former surfing champion Chris de Aboitiz (not pictured), February 18, 2016. An Australian dog trainer and former surfing champion is using the discipline of surfing as a way of teaching owners to build healthy relationships with man's best friend. (Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

The crowd is reflected in the glasses of a bearded competitor at the third annual National Beard and Moustache Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 11, 2012. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown/AFP Photo)

The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon over waters of Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch on May 11, 2024. (Photo by Sanka Vidanagama/AFP Photo)