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Ophidiophobia (/ ə ˌ f ɪ d i oʊ ˈ f oʊ b i ə /), or ophiophobia (/ ˌ oʊ f i oʊ ˈ f oʊ b i ə /), is fear of snakes. It is sometimes called by the more general term herpetophobia, fear of reptiles. The word comes from the Greek words "ophis" (ὄφις), snake, and "phobia" (φοβία) meaning fear. [1]
The concept of snakes being a special threat to humans has been confirmed by population-based studies. Ophidiophobia (phobia of snakes) is one of the most common and intense phobias among the general population. Furthermore, a study reported that around 50% of people experience dreams about snakes. [5] [dead link ]
The anthropologist Lynne Isbell has argued that, as primates, the serpent as a symbol of death is built into our unconscious minds because of our evolutionary history.. Isbell argues that for millions of years snakes were the only significant predators of primates, and that this explains why fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias worldwide and why the symbol of the serpent is so ...
Garter snakes can bite or strike humans if they feel threatened. Small garter snakes eat prey such as slugs and earthworms, but larger garter snakes eat birds, fish, amphibians and rodents.
One famous snake that was able to transform back and forth between a snake and a human being was Madam White Snake in the Legend of the White Snake. Other snakes or snake-like beings sometimes include deities, such as Fuxi and Nüwa and Gong Gong. Sometimes, Fuxi and Nuwa are described as snakes with human heads and sometimes as humans with ...
Some people take the class to overcome their fear of snakes — and many leave wanting a pet snake of their own Imagine you’re in yoga class — and you feel something slither across your back.
Humans have responded to this behavior by targeting these events in order to catch more fish, which have started to engage less in courting behavior out of fear.
Cultural attitudes to reptiles include a widespread fear, sometimes extending to phobia, especially of snakes; [2] Carl Sagan suggested that the fear may be ancestral, [85] [2] and it is indeed shared by other primates. [2] In the US, 12% of men and 38% of women feared snakes; along with spiders, this is the most common phobia in Western societies.