Ophidiophobia

Ophidiophobia or ophiophobia is the abnormal fear of snakes. It is sometimes called herpetophobia, which is a fear of reptiles or amphibians. The word comes from the Greek words "ophis" (ὄφις) meaning snake, and "phobia" (φοβία) meaning fear.[1]

A person with ophidiophobia would be scared of this photograph.

This is a phobia, so it does not include people who do not like snakes or fear them for their venom. A person with ophidiophobia (called an ophidiophobe) not only fears them when in live contact, but is scared to think about them or even see them in video or still pictures.[2]

About a third of adult humans are ophidiophobic, making this the most common reported phobia.[3] Scientists think that mammals may have an innate fear of snakes. This was vital for their survival as it allowed such dangerous threats to be identified immediately.[4]

References
  1. "Fear of Snakes Phobia – Ophidiophobia". FearOf. 2016-08-22. Archived from the original on 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  2. Murrie, Matthew & Steven. The First Book of Seconds. F+W Media, 2010. p.11.
  3. Lynne Isbell, "The Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent - Why We See So Well" (Harvard University Press, 2009)
  4. "Fear of Snakes, Spiders Rooted in Evolution, Study Finds". news.nationalgeographic.com.
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