Why? It's possible that it's hardwired, an evolutionary advantage given to those who avoided dangerous animals. On the other hand, some studies have suggested the fear is learned from our parents. Regardless, snakes play an important role in the ecosystem, and they have a lot to offer us humans.
Fear of snakes is one of the most common phobias, yet many people have never seen a snake in person. So how is this fear generated? New research suggests humans have evolved an innate tendency to sense snakes — and spiders, too — and to learn to fear them.
Scientists believed that some of those snake-detecting adaptations got passed down all the way to humans. Research has found humans do not innately afraid of snakes, since new-born babies are usually not afraid of snakes.
Almost any stimulus may trigger a phobic reaction, but snakes are among the most feared objects. Half of the population feel anxious about snakes and 2-3% meet the diagnostic criteria for snake phobia.
According to experts, the best thing to do if you come across any snake, whether it's venomous or not, is to keep a good distance. You should let them be because in most cases they're probably more afraid of you.
However, snakes don't have the intellectual capacity to feel emotions such as affection. But this lack of brain power doesn't mean that snakes don't enjoy spending time with humans. They just aren't capable of forming a bond with you in a way that a dog or cat does.
Both venomous and nonvenomous snakes are extremely wary of humans and are not prone to strike. A bite is their last-ditch effort to avoid harm. Simply leaving a snake to do its job in the landscape is the best way to avoid a bad encounter.
“This confirms the general agreement in the literature that snakes and spiders are the most intensively feared animals in humans with the highest prevalence in the general population.” Bulls (3.84 points) were not too far behind, however.
Leave it alone. Snakes are generally shy and will not attack unless provoked, so it's best to leave them be. If you see a snake inside your home, get all people and pets out of the room immediately. Shut the door and fill the gap underneath with a towel, then call a professional snake catcher for assistance.
Would you be surprised to learn that rattlesnakes and humans share many of the same genes? At the molecular level, both humans and snakes rely on DNA to build life. From our DNA, we gain tools to help us interact with our surrounding environment and, hopefully, to survive it.
Because older toddlers don't show fear in response to the real live animals, the fear itself is probably not innate. Instead, babies probably recognize the snakes and spiders as a potential threat, which suggests that they're prepped to become afraid of them later in life, Rakison says.
We found that perceived fear and disgust of spiders were triggered predominantly by enlarged chelicerae, enlarged abdomen, and the presence of body hair. Longer legs were associated with perceived fear as well; however, the presence of two eyes did not produce any statistical significance in terms of fear.
Snakes will try to avoid you if given enough warning. When possible, step on logs and rocks, never over them as you may surprise a sheltering snake. Avoid walking through dense brush or blackberry thickets.
Threat detection is crucial to survival. Studies using unnatural visual scene settings (i.e. visual search tasks) have shown that humans and primates are able to identify snakes more quickly than they are able to identify other animals.
The honey badger has been called the world's most fearless animal because it doesn't hesitate to attack animals much larger than itself- even lions and crocodiles!
Larger primates, such as humans and chimps, live in groups and adopted the strategy of aggressively defending themselves against threats, which usually works against predators, Hawks said. Being social has therefore helped keep us safe, along with the benefits of bipedalism.
Many dogs have sound phobias to loud noises like fireworks, thunderstorms, gunshots, and firecrackers. There is even research that suggests noise phobias can be inherited. According to Dr. Klein, herding breeds are particularly sensitive to noise phobias, perhaps because they are so attuned to their environment.
The science is in, and the answer is a resounding YES—dogs can smell fear. Dogs have olfactory superpowers that can detect a human's emotional state by the scent that a human emits. That's right—you can't hide fear from dogs.
Use Natural Predators
Snakes have a few natural predators that can help keep them away. Common snake predators include cats, raccoons, pigs, turkeys, guinea hens, and foxes. Keeping any of these animals around your home will help deter snakes from coming near.
No, while snakes can certainly smell humans that are afraid of them, they don't smell fear! Snakes have no way of knowing if the animals or humans around them are afraid or not. So this is actually a myth.
Ammonia is a common snake repellent. Snakes hate the smell of ammonia and won't come near it. Soak rags in ammonia and place them in unsealed plastic bags. Leave the bags where you usually see snakes to keep them away.
Snakes cannot jump, but instead lunge forward from a coiled position at an accelerated speed. As a snake launches itself, it may appear as though the snake is jumping.