Why are people afraid of snakes?

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BobbiLynn

BobbiLynn

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Because you think they are poisonous and want to bite you? And you are afraid that you will die? But what if you know it's just a very large white oak snake? They won't hurt anybody. A four foot long, thick, white oak snake on my porch and I jumped on my chair saying "I'm not afraid of snakes. I'm not afraid of snakes." When I stop shaking I will go back out there and take it's picture, pick him up and carry him off the porch. NOT!!!! It's reptilian ways and hissing tongue, and slimy, long body that slithers along, makes me uneasy.
 
From a philosophical point it dates back to the beginning of time when the serpent convinced Eve to eat the apple which in turn she convinced Adam to join right in. It placed all mankind on the slippery slope delivering us to what we have today. Hence the underlying fear that all snakes are detrimental to life as we have come to enjoy. Or not.
 
I have no problem with snakes, have had one as a "pet" for years...doesn't make a lot of noise...easy to take care of...throw a dead mouse in once a week and that's it. What's to be afraid of?
 
nasty_rabbit said:
From a philosophical point it dates back to the beginning of time when the serpent convinced Eve to eat the apple which in turn she convinced Adam to join right in. It placed all mankind on the slippery slope delivering us to what we have today. Hence the underlying fear that all snakes are detrimental to life as we have come to enjoy. Or not.
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Oh, okay, :smack:
 
BobbiLynn said:
Because you think they are poisonous and want to bite you? And you are afraid that you will die? But what if you know it's just a very large white oak snake? They won't hurt anybody. A four foot long, thick, white oak snake on my porch and I jumped on my chair saying "I'm not afraid of snakes. I'm not afraid of snakes." When I stop shaking I will go back out there and take it's picture, pick him up and carry him off the porch. NOT!!!! It's reptilian ways and hissing tongue, and slimy, long body that slithers along, makes me uneasy.
Click to expand...

Fine. I'll put my pants on and go home.
 
I am not afraid of snakes, it's just a snake. Sitting calmly on my front porch. He can't hurt me. I will go take his picture, he won't hurt me, not a poisonous one. Wish me luck....
 
Snakes aren't slimy. Come on. Everyone knows that. Snakes feel pretty cool, actually. I don't think that snakes are anything but wild animals, though. They should be respectfully left alone. They take care of a lot of animals that are pests to humans and cause us illnesses.
 
I think snakes are cool and just awesome. When I was little I read a lot of books on snakes and self taught myself to catch them, still catch them now. Spiders on the other hand...
 
Moved towards the steps, not slimy, scaley. Then slipped between the slats. Surprised it fit between the slats, looked too wide but it transformed itself and slipped under the steps. A white oak snake won't hurt anyone. Not poisonous. I'm not afraid of snakes... will just keep reminding myself.
 
Here she is...

Mini_zpsc0f78406.jpg
 
I don't mind snakes. But the last time I picked up a garter snake it smelled horrible. We were on a hike on an island and I had nothing to wash my hands off with. So nasty.

But there was a kid at camp when I was very young who tried to pick up a large garter snake and it DID bite him. He had two long cuts down his finger where it bit him. It was bleeding pretty good and he was bawling. So, yeah, some can bite.
 
BobbiLynn said:
Because you think they are poisonous and want to bite you? And you are afraid that you will die? But what if you know it's just a very large white oak snake? They won't hurt anybody. A four foot long, thick, white oak snake on my porch and I jumped on my chair saying "I'm not afraid of snakes. I'm not afraid of snakes." When I stop shaking I will go back out there and take it's picture, pick him up and carry him off the porch. NOT!!!! It's reptilian ways and hissing tongue, and slimy, long body that slithers along, makes me uneasy.
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I think it's mostly just survival instinct. Most people can't tell if a snake is venomous or not at a quick glance, unless it's obvious like a rattlesnake or a cobra. It's better to be safe than sorry, so we jerk our hands away or jump when we see a snake. At the very least, nobody wants to get bitten, even if it is non-venomous.
Regards, GF.
 
The reason why I avoid any snake that crosses my path is due to ignorance.

I have no interest in snakes, therefore never taken the time to learn and understand how to differentiate the venomous ones from non-venomous.

There are about 40 different types of snakes in my area, 5 of which are venomous. A stripe here, ring there, black here, red there - it doesn't matter to me.

If its in my yard and I have a shovel near by, its a dead snake.
 
BobbiLynn said:
Moved towards the steps, not slimy, scaley. Then slipped between the slats. Surprised it fit between the slats, looked too wide but it transformed itself and slipped under the steps. A white oak snake won't hurt anyone. Not poisonous. I'm not afraid of snakes... will just keep reminding myself.
Click to expand...

You sound like me!

I'm not the least bit afraid of them. In theory. They are an important part of the environment, keeping rodents in check.

A nice big snake near the garden will eat chipmunks, mice, voles, and so on. They are a very good thing.

In theory.

I am even teaching my grandson to look at snakes we see, and have respect for them as important creatures that eat rodents. They have a certain beauty to them as well.

From far away.
 
BobbiLynn said:
Because you think they are poisonous and want to bite you? And you are afraid that you will die? But what if you know it's just a very large white oak snake? They won't hurt anybody. A four foot long, thick, white oak snake on my porch and I jumped on my chair saying "I'm not afraid of snakes. I'm not afraid of snakes." When I stop shaking I will go back out there and take it's picture, pick him up and carry him off the porch. NOT!!!! It's reptilian ways and hissing tongue, and slimy, long body that slithers along, makes me uneasy.
Click to expand...

Because they don't have any arms.
 
Hubby came to join me for coffee on the porch this morning and I started to tell him "There's a snake..." was going to say under the front steps but didn't get that far. He moved faster than I knew he could move yelling "where? where?". But I looked and it's not there anymore.

I actually have a scar on my wrist from getting bit by a non-venomous snake about 20 years ago. Scar is the shape of an arrowhead where he got me with one fang. Reached into a friend's snake aquarium because one of the little ornaments had tipped over and I was going to fix it. Admire them from a distance... yes.
 
BobbiLynn said:
Because you think they are poisonous and want to bite you?
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Well some can eat you and others can kill you but to be scared of a snake oin the other side of the glass is just wimpy.

But we all have our fears.

Mine is the fear of running out of beer!
 
Back in the mid 80's I went over to a friend from work house for some "extra curricular activities". Later that night i asked to use the bathroom. So im sitting there minding my own business when there's a knock on the door. I answer yes. His response was "Don't panic he wont hurt you. I hope your not afraid of snakes but my snake likes to coil around the toilet." To horror I look down to find a 6 to 8' boa wrapped around the bowl. Talk about scaring the crap out of someone.
 
I like snakes from a distance and on TV. I think it's the quick-strike ability, the aforementioned lack of distinguishing which are poisonous and which aren't, and the fact that they have those empty eyes and no expressions. It's like you have no idea what they're thinking, are they going to strike me or are they totally cool right now?

Even the non-venomous ones can cause a nasty bite and then there's the potential for infection, too.
 
I'm fearful of surprise snakes. Pet snakes are cool. If I ask "does it bite?" and you say "no".... and youre the type of person I trust not to lie to me... I'll even handle it. If Im confronted by a snake and wasnt aware that I would be, I will shriek like a 10year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert.

Lizards, on the other hand, would have to be actually attacking me for me to fear them. Hey buddy, how's your day goin? Just soakin in some rays huh?
 
CreamyGoodness said:
Lizards, on the other hand, would have to be actually attacking me for me to fear them. Hey buddy, how's your day goin? Just soakin in some rays huh?
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You know those little anoles? The minature chameleon like lizards that live in the south? One of those bit me once.
 
CreamyGoodness said:
Bummer! Were you just walking along being all Louisiana-like or were you messing with him?
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I was a kid, visiting my grandparents in Florida. Catching them and putting them in a little milk jug environment that I had made for them. When I went to let him go, he bit me.

So while I can't blame him for being peeved, as I was certain "messing with him", his timing was all wrong. I was letting him go!
 
My wife was a little afraid of the iguanas in cancun on our honeymoon for a little bit. Just watching them watch us she said "he's cute actually, he looks like Kermit when he disapproves of something!"
 
BrewKnurd said:
I was a kid, visiting my grandparents in Florida. Catching them and putting them in a little milk jug environment that I had made for them. When I went to let him go, he bit me.

So while I can't blame him for being peeved, as I was certain "messing with him", his timing was all wrong. I was letting him go!
Click to expand...

Did he break the skin? Actually... being bit by a lizard sounds like no fun at all.
 
CreamyGoodness said:
Did he break the skin? Actually... being bit by a lizard sounds like no fun at all.
Click to expand...

I didn't think Anoles really had "teeth" per se, like a largemouth bass has "teeth" but you can stick your thumb in his mouth and it isn't going to hurt you.
 
I got bit by a salamander once. I would relate it to if a clam were to close down on your finger.
 
tre9er said:
I didn't think Anoles really had "teeth" per se, like a largemouth bass has "teeth" but you can stick your thumb in his mouth and it isn't going to hurt you.
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Yeah, they may have tiny little teeth, but I think the bass analogy is a good one. They may be there, but they're useless.

The anole certainly did not draw blood, he latched onto the pad of my finger and wouldn't let got for a few seconds. I will say it was more painful than when my snake bit me and DID draw blood. I didn't even know he actually bit me until i saw the little blood droplets. I thought he had just struck at me without opening his mouth, simply because of the fact that i didn't feel a bite.

Airplanedoc said:
You sure it wasn't a insurance salesman?
Click to expand...

Those are geckos. We have those all over around here, never been bit by one.
 
I think I'm going to stay in New York City where it is safe.

I have to say I am a huge gecko lover. Poor buggers always look scared and they dont do anything destructive... plus they eat bugs.

Both times I was in Mexico I shared a room with a gecko on the wall or ceiling and I didnt even insist they pay rent.
 

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