# Our hereditary fear of snakes really is overpowering. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 17, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935 "2011-10-17T17:42:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/21 "2011-10-19T02:05:37Z")
Snakes are awesome. I don’t find them scary at all. I’d enjoy having a pet snake except for their eating habits. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/22 "2011-10-19T02:25:20Z")
Snakes are awesome. I love snakes. I always wanted to have one as a pet. But this, > [@Ogre](#): > > [fishing spider](http://www.classeradio.com/dock_spider.jpg) Gahh noooo! :eek: Kill it with fire! ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/23 "2011-10-19T02:26:37Z")
> [@Daithi\_Lacha](#): > > I was mowing the lawn for the second time in our new place last Friday when a black snake hightailed it (so to speak) out of the grass into our bushes, next to the house. I was pleased and excited to know that a close neighbor would be so accommodating as to take up space in our back yard to help keep the rodent population down for us, free of charge. > > Now when I told my wife about it, she was a little less excited than I. Growing up in Ireland, she hasn’t had much exposure to snakes, I guess. 🙂 Pfff…screw that. Snakes are overrated for rodent control. Get yourself a good [owl box](http://www.barnowlboxes.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=6&Itemid=18&vmcchk=1&Itemid=18). ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/24 "2011-10-19T05:09:13Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > Snakes are awesome. I don’t find them scary at all. I’d enjoy having a pet snake except for their eating habits. This 100%. If theyever come up with a Purina Snake Chow I’ll have one in a heartbeat! ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/25 "2011-10-19T10:58:54Z")
> [@MichaelQReilly](#): > > Pfff…screw that. Snakes are overrated for rodent control. Get yourself a good [owl box](http://www.barnowlboxes.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=6&Itemid=18&vmcchk=1&Itemid=18). That probably would be widely approved of [in my neighborhood](http://www.fausports.com/). I also want to put up a [bat shelter.](http://www.birdsanctum.com/batshelters) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/26 "2011-10-19T11:14:34Z")
Snakes – all snakes – are evil, and should be killed on sight. Remember that reptiles ruled the earth for a couple hundred million years, while humans have only been around 1.5-2 million years. They are the major competitors to our species, and the competition isn’t over yet. Kill 'em all. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/27 "2011-10-19T13:35:01Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > children mirror the behavior of the adults around them, even in their reaction to animals. I second that. My dad was born in the Sudan where his parents were working as missionaries, and he was taught that when he saw a snake to freeze wherever he was and to scream his head off. Pretty much all snakes over there are harmful. I picked up my deathly fear of snakes growing up in the US, watching him do his snake terror dance when mowing the lawn. To this day I am still freaked silly about all snakes, to the point where if I see a bunny rabbit move out of the corner of my eye I will do the terror dance thinking it is a snake. And speaking of acquired fears, my wife is deathly afraid of pigeons because her nanny used to taunt her with them as a young child. So my wife and I make a great duo. Imagine the two of us walking down the sidewalk on a peaceful summer day. She will see a pigeon on the ground and start shrieking. Hearing her shriek, I immediately assume there’s a snake. Then we take turns jumping into each other’s arms, like something out of Scooby Doo! ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/28 "2011-10-19T13:57:01Z")
Thanks for sharing Endemic, that is classic. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/29 "2011-10-19T15:39:43Z")
> [@BoBettie](#): > > A timely topic- saw about a 12 foot python (thick around as the top of a baseball bat) in the road as I was leaving Everglades National Park last week. Now THAT will wake you up and get your blood pumping! I saw a python\* swimming in a canal near Shark Valley which is a part of the Everglades. There’s never an alligator around when you want one. \*It looked like a python and it was very large; I didn’t care to leave my car to try to identify the damn thing. Actually I don’t know if pythons swim although I suspect they do. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/30 "2011-10-19T15:47:02Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Snakes – all snakes – are evil, and should be killed on sight. > > Remember that reptiles ruled the earth for a couple hundred million years, while humans have only been around 1.5-2 million years. They are the major competitors to our species, and the competition isn’t over yet. > > Kill 'em all. I think you’re just kidding, but this attitude is really pretty awful. Snakes have as much right to life as you do. I hope you don’t influence any children. I also hope you don’t actually kill any snakes. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/31 "2011-10-19T15:52:36Z")
My first reaction on seeing a snake is to get close enough to see what kind it is. The other day I was on the trail and I didn’t have to get too close–the rattler was holding its tail up in a way so that the rattles caught the sunlight and seemed to be glowing. Very cool. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/32 "2011-10-19T16:00:05Z")
I must have missed that gene. I have always been fascinated by snakes and even as a wee girl wanted to catch them and hold them and keep them. Maybe it’s growing up in Ontario knowing that the only venomous ones are rattlers, so if it’s not making noise, its not going to kill me. My Mother is not fond of snakes. Not phobic, but definitely does not want anything to do with them. I guess she would have preferred a little less interest on my part. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/33 "2011-10-19T16:00:35Z")
Snakes I have no fear of (when I was a kid I used to chase and eventually catch Garter Snakes by hand, until I discovered their defense mechanism - which was to poo extremely stinky crap on you, if they can’t get a bite into you). But I can’t pick up a Dock Spider (or Fishing Spider). We have those at the cottage as well - big suckers, mostly harmless. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/34 "2011-10-19T16:02:44Z")
Never been afraid of snakes and I encounter them on a regular basis when camping, hiking, and hunting. There are plenty of rattlers where I hunt, so you have to be alert to your surroundings. I can attest to the power of instinct, though. Once when we arrived at our hunting camp, I went over to the electrical box to flip the switch to power the water pump. When I lifted the cover on the box, which was at about eye-level on a pole, I was faced with about a hundred yellow jackets who were quite displeased with my intrusion. I didn’t have time to make any conscious decision to turn and run, because before I knew what was happening I was already 30 feet away and still gaining speed. It was like somebody else with lightning-quick reflexes had taken over my body. A strange feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/35 "2011-10-19T16:09:40Z")
I have milk snakes living in the foundation of my house and in the spring, I’ll open the bulkhead to get to the cellar and will often find them stretched out in the warmth under the hot metal doors. I usually give a bit of a jump when I first notice them – then I go get the camera. Last spring, I was weeding the perennial garden near the foundation and actually grabbed a large milk snake that had curled up in a ball in the grass. We were both pretty startled and he slithered off in a tiff. They’re good neighbors – keep the crickets and (hopefully the mice) down to a reasonable number. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/36 "2011-10-19T23:11:33Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Snakes – all snakes – are evil, and should be killed on sight. > > Remember that reptiles ruled the earth for a couple hundred million years, while humans have only been around 1.5-2 million years. They are the major competitors to our species, and the competition isn’t over yet. > > Kill 'em all. I have a terrible, TERRIBLE snake phobia – so bad I generally can’t look at pictures. But I don’t want to kill them. Just…make them go away. Toss 'em in the woods, run screaming, etc. But unless they’re actually harming someone, don’t kill them. (And my parents aren’t generally afraid of snakes. My grandmother was, but she didn’t freak out. So…it had nothing to do with picking up on someone’s behavior) ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/37 "2011-10-19T23:21:18Z")
What’s the big deal with the spider? It’s not scaly and slithery. Spiders are cool. Snakes on the other hand…Personally, I blame Conan Doyle for my phobia. Either that or it’s a Freudian thing. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935/38 "2011-10-19T23:41:55Z")
Count me in with those who missed the primal snake-fearing gene. I mean, I _know_ intellectually not to fuck with them, but when I see one my gut reaction is “Cool!”\* \*OK, that’s assuming that the snake is just hanging out at a safe distance. If I saw something like a king cobra standing up with its hood flared out, hissing and actively threatening me, then I might be just a little scared. Of course that’s never happened. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-hereditary-fear-of-snakes-really-is-overpowering/599935.md?page=1)