Is this general rule of thumb true?

I like bananas. I eat them a lot. I am still alive.

Do we just mean animals? I think daffodils are safe.

Bright coloration is part of the cue for some venomous creatures. I don’t think it always true though. See this and this.

Pansies, calendula, sunflower, tulips, honeysuckle, marigold, squash, banana, corn… all edible.

I’m no expert in the field, but I think it’s false. What examples does your teacher give to back up the theory?

Banana slugs, the mascot of UC Santa Cruz, are harmless.

I think that plenty of plant examples have already been given. Animals: yellow dogs, seahorses (I don’t think those are dangerous), baby ducks, giraffes (though sometimes dangerous), and chicks (as in baby chickens).

A species might be yellow because its predators do not rely on color to hunt it, and thus being yellow carries no disadvantage. Or it might be yellow because, as your teacher suggests, it is able to fight off any predators, and so has nothing to fear. But the means by which it fights off those predators might be totally ineffective against humans; a toxin that does not act on us, for instance. So I doubt this rue of thumb carries much weight (and, of course, yellow is not always poor camouflage).

If we’re talking animals…I don’t think goldfinches are particularly dangerous.
Bah. I don’t buy this rule as it’s worded. Maybe a better and more accurate statement would be, “Brightly colored plants and animals are often dangerous, and should be avoided if they are not recognized.”

Bananas. Saffron. Corn. Big Bird. Woodstock. Yellow Labs. Hot Blondes.

your teacher is a tard.

Everytime I see a yellow cow I always turn around and play it safe.

@tennesseejac that cow would kill you and everyone you love.

dont go near this guy

or these guys.

@eponymoushipster – don’t you think there is something slightly odd about Big Bird? How normal is he?? Truly…I had a fear of Big Bird when I was little.

@cak that’s true. i mean, he was a huge bird, but his personality and views were modeled after the young children he was designed for. which is really odd, since he lived alone in NYC. and traveled the world alone in that movie 25 years ago.

but he is rather creepy. i was always a grover/gonzo guy myself. although my mom would tell you oscar the grouch.

It’s true, my teacher is a tard. He’s an old grumpy man who makes lame jokes and thinks he’s the center of the universe. He puts his home phone number on all the assignments so we can ask for help (I have to take advantage of this someday. I’m really hungry for pizza), and I called him because I was really stuck on something and he spent 10 minutes talking about yellow animals.

Thanks for your thought, fellow flutherites!

@eponymoushipster – Wasn’t grover also supergrover? He rocked. I did like Oscar, though. I still have a little Fisher Price Oscar toy, somewhere.

@Mtl_zack is he afraid of the Simpsons? because he sounds like a Simpsons’ character. also: does he feed you pizza if you ask for help?

@cak yes; he played into a child’s desire to dress up or something, i suppose. What was the name of the other one – Sully or something? Kinda looked like Grimace from McDs…?

@eponymoushipster I think he was born way before The Simpsons and just doesn’t understand them. He always complains about “kids nowadays…”. I was thinking of pranking him by ordering 20 pizzas to his house :P

@Mtl_zack ohgotcha. i thought that was maybe what you had in mind, but wasn’t sure. find a pizza with lotsa yellow and order a mess of them!

@eponymoushipster – I don’t remember his name! I do know who you are talking about, though.

@cak well, i plan on reading that new book about Seasame Street Street Gang, so i’ll eventually find ou and let you know. :)

I always liked Mr. Snuffleupagus

@Jeruba Lick those banana slugs! It’s good luck. Or at least that’s what they told me before I licked one.

@Allie, I never licked one, but I did make one the centerpiece of a short story. How did it taste?

@Jeruba Like dirt.

Great fictional detail! I’ll remember that.