# What animal scares the crap out of you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 2, 2001, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908 "2001-10-02T04:22:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broken\_Doll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Broken\_Doll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Doll)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/21 "2001-10-02T12:43:12Z")
Tigers and lions. Any large cat that can chase me and eat me. I often have nightmares where I’m trying to escape from a hungry tiger. Spiders. Pretty average, but they scare the crap out of me. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/22 "2001-10-02T14:02:51Z")
I have a fear of wasps, but I think that one of the creepy/scariest animals out there is the camel spider (you knew someone would mention it, goons). It lives in the middle east, not here, which is its only redeeming feature. It’s aggressive, very territorial, will attack sleeping people (EATING THEIR FACE), can run up to 30 mph, and it shrieks. Oh, and it’s about 6-8 inches. All it’s missing is the chest-bursting larvae, and I’m sure the camel spider scientists are working on it. ---
**Author:** ![Bookworm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f475e1/32.png) [@Bookworm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookworm)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/23 "2001-10-02T14:21:54Z")
Moray eels scare the crap out of me. Their blank stares, especially . . . they look like they’re axe murderers who just got sedated or something. ~shudders~ ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/24 "2001-10-02T14:46:57Z")
My vote has to go to grizzly bears. I’ve seen some animal trainer messing around with his full-grown, male grizzly on TV (I think the bear’s name is Bruce) and that sucker is just monstrous. Probably 9 or 10 feet tall, a mouth that would fit very nicely around your entire head, and feet the size of tennis rackets (but with 4 inch long claws attached). Think about it - the tend to live in secluded areas so you’d be pretty far from help if you tangled with one; they can outrun you so if they take an interest you’re probably in for a serious ass whipping at the least; and I get the impression that they’d play with you a little bit before they killed you (sort of knock you around some, try to get you to run - the way a cat will play with a mouse). No, I don’t want to be on the wrong side of a grizzly bear. ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/25 "2001-10-02T14:47:15Z")
Giant squid. Every time I see some kind of giant squid dispay in a museum, I don’t fail to comment to my companions that such a creature would scare the crap out of me. That Humboldt Squid mentioned in the OP might do the trick as well, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/26 "2001-10-02T14:53:07Z")
Pit bulls. The very thought of one is so terrifying to me. Did you see Law and Order the week before last? I was recently at the vet with my cat and a man carried a pit bull in in its arms and I still made a fool out of myself backing into the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/779978/32.png) [@Zumba\_The\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zumba_The_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/27 "2001-10-02T15:14:13Z")
Goats. I am terrified of goats. Have you ever looked a goat in the eye? They are evil. I am also scared of ticks. Who wouldn’t be scared of a critter that looks like a spider and sucks blood? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/28 "2001-10-02T15:16:47Z")
Dung Beetles. Anything that fearless scares the crap outta me. Oh, and Great Whites. (It’s not that I have anything against animals of color, fear is simply a black & white issue with me.) ---
**Author:** ![RufusB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@RufusB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RufusB)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/29 "2001-10-02T15:50:16Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by PigBoy_ > > Giant squid. > Every time I see some kind of giant squid dispay in a museum, I don’t fail to comment to my companions that such a creature would scare the crap out of me. > > That Humboldt Squid mentioned in the OP might do the trick as well, I suppose Check out this link to learn about the Humboldts: [http://diver.net/seahunt/fend/f\_scottc.htm](http://diver.net/seahunt/fend/f_scottc.htm) I don’t know which creeps me out more, the part about one trying to chew through the guy’s neck armor or the part about how they can attack you with 24,000 teeth at once > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by TheLochNessHump_ > > Hmm, how about those botflies in South America that lay eggs in your skin, so a few weeks later you have inch-long maggots crawling around in there? I forgot about the botfly. Something about maggots crawling around under my skin eating my flesh makes me shudder. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/30 "2001-10-02T16:22:42Z")
Spiders. All kinds of spiders. Insects, centipedes and other creepy crawlies piss me off, but only spiders can send me into a terminal case of the heebie-jeebies. The worst spider experience I’ve had so far was in my first apartment in Japan, which happened to be completely infested with the little fuckers. I was watching TV late at night with the lights out, when suddenly I see the silhouette of a huge mofo (4 in. legspan) walking across the TV screen. Only one of us walked away from that encounter.[sup]\*[/sup] –sublight [sup]\*[/sup][sub]The Spider. I ran screaming like a little girl.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Lucifer12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b38774/32.png) [@Lucifer12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucifer12)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/31 "2001-10-02T16:23:38Z")
Say, that Humboldt squid is a caution! How long till a Humboldt squid attack is featured in the movies? Anyway, I cast my vote for the wolverine. Those things are bad-ass mofo’s. I saw one take on a wolf pack for an elk carcass and won easily. Yikes. ---
**Author:** ![mega\_the\_roo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mega\_the\_roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mega_the_roo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/32 "2001-10-02T16:37:24Z")
I have a bit of an issue with eels and loaches. (They want to jump down my throat and eat my insides.) Snakes on the other hand, just want to be my friends and curl up at the foot of my bed. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/33 "2001-10-02T17:13:01Z")
Just read about the Humboldt’s. Those are some crazy calimari. But you know, it’s not like they are going to just show up in your yard and kill you like certain dogs might. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/34 "2001-10-02T17:48:55Z")
Wolverine. When I was a kid living on our acerage, dad said he saw one outside. I heard some terrible growling and snarling outside that night too… scared the shit out of me. After finding out how mean they were, it took me a a while to get the courage to be outside alone again. I would like to watch one from a distance just to see what they’re like now, though. I used to be really scared of wasps. However, I have turned into a very effecient wasp killing machine. Any wasp that flies near me and hangs around is swatted and stomped on in seconds. I have no mercy for them. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/35 "2001-10-02T20:27:26Z")
Rabid animals scare the hell out of me (as someone mentioned). I’m always paranoid of my cats getting rabies. Grasshoppers and moths. They don’t really scare me, they just make me nervous. They’re so unpredictable. You’ll be walking through the grass and then a grasshopper lands on your face. And I get a lot of moths around in my room and one will suddenly be right in front of me and make me jump. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/36 "2001-10-02T20:43:18Z")
Frogs. I have terrible frog fear. All forms of frogs. Mr. Bobkitty had the wonderous experience of hearing me scream like a little girl when I came across several of the damn things hiding in a pile of wood. Cave crickets. I refuse to go near my basement because the cave crickets down there carry guns and are **very** territorial. Ticks, some spiders, anything that can sting me and make me swell up like a balloon. I can’t think of anything else that evokes that level of fear… I’m actually quite fond of most critters. -BK ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/37 "2001-10-02T20:47:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by niwroc \* > **Portuguese Man-of-War.** I got stung by one of those once in Hawaii when I was 7 or 8 years old. I was sitting on the beach and noticed what appeared to be a bit of thread wrapped around my leg. I followed the “thread” to its end and discovered the little bastard stuck on my leg, behind my knee. Needless to say, I got it off and ran screaming, having had the crap scared out of me. ---
**Author:** ![sidle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@sidle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/38 "2001-10-02T20:56:16Z")
Sting rays really freak me out. The idea of coming across one of those giant ones-what are they called?-Oh-manta rays. Not appealing. I also hate butterflies. Their bodies are nasty and fuzzy like a caterpillar. Then they have those big spots like evil EYES. Then-and this is the worst-they LAND on you if youre not careful. Theyre just too unpredictable. Nasty overrrated creatures. ---
**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 2, 2001, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/39 "2001-10-02T21:14:44Z")
Snakes. Oh my fucking god, snakes. I HATE them…they’re icky, oh shit…I can’t even think about them without squirming and I just can’t stand them. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2001, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908/40 "2001-10-02T21:21:00Z")
Harvester ants. Jesus, I thought I got bit by a diamondback. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animal-scares-the-crap-out-of-you/84908.md?page=3)