2006-07-02 09:04:59 · 25 answers · asked by tom c 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
It is a phobia. Some spiders do need to be respected because some can cause serious problems which need medical care. You'll know when you've been bitten by one that you need to seek help for.
2006-07-02 09:09:39 · answer #1 · answered by clbinmo 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, I believe there may actually be two answers to your question.
1) Some of this fear is learned, not necessarily genetic, but taught. Sometimes throught the generations. This conditioning if you will, to be scared of spiders can sometimes be taught to children by their parents at a young age. If you are taught to fear them very young, then it can sometimes stick with you.
2) I know that some people dont believe in evolution, but if you are on this zoology page, I certainly hope that you do. I believe that humans may also be instinctively nervous around spiders and for good reason, not that crap about 1 million years B.C, Im not only talking primitive humans, but apes. If you look at the great apes, to which we share about 96%of our DNA, many of them are instinctively terrified of spiders. It is a great adaptation to have, if you play around with venomous creatures bad things happen, so it is a good idea to be on your toes so to speak. Many apes ahow the same initial reaction to spiders as human do, they kind of jump, heart rate increases and there is usually some sort of vocalisation. This is not the only situation in which we act similarly to chimps either, it happens in several examples. Another is the sound we make when we scratch a chalk board, is the same pitch as the alarm call of chimps, that is why some of us cringe with the sound, basically we are alerted to some danger (instinctively speaking) and we react. Believe me or not, but I think it is highly probable. So, I think evolution definatly has a hand in this phobia. Arachnophobia is a serious phobia to many, and can leave them virtually paralyzed at the sight of even the smallest spider.
2006-07-06 09:40:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Simply too many legs. People are usually squeemish about anything with more than four legs like bugs and crabs. Also, they are small, so you never know how many spiders are hiding in your room. If they were six feet tall, that wouldn't be a problem. A lot of people said "because they bite" but a puppy dog also bites. Some spider bites look very nasty though and some tissue that rot away never heals, it just leaves a gaping hole. I think spiders are amazing, but I wouldn't want a black widow crawling through my hair.
2006-07-02 20:35:42 · answer #3 · answered by Hrodulf 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some spiders are deadly. Others are freaks of nature, like the big hairy Tarantula. Some people are only scared of those. Also they have 8 legs and 8 eyes and as in the Tarantula huge fangs.
2006-07-02 21:49:58 · answer #4 · answered by bast_mau 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
some may say that they awaken primitive emotions/instincts yadda yadda, but that suggest that our ancestors had a pretty immediate need to be able to respond to the presence of spiders. this i do not believe is true to look at the relative evolutions of hominids and arachnids. that is to say, there is no evidence that our ancestors were plagued by giant man-eating spiders. but having watched 1 Million Years BC starring Raquel Welch, on a Saturday afternoon as a small child, like many other children also have, it's easy to see how arachnophobia is a learnt response.
2006-07-02 16:15:17 · answer #5 · answered by blank 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm.... I read somewhere that arachnophobia (spider phobia) and snake phobia might be (partly) genetically determined. It was said that spiders might have been more dangerous some million of years ago, so that the humans best fit to survive would be the ones who had the gene for avoiding them.
2006-07-02 16:16:22 · answer #6 · answered by Rita 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not sure why so many people are scared of spiders. I am NOT! I LOVE spiders! They are so cool, the way they spin that silk to catch their food.
2006-07-03 02:21:48 · answer #7 · answered by mutants_need_love_too 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How does one sort out socially acquired or learned behaviour from instinctive or genetic? My wife loves spiders but then English spiders are pretty well harmless.
2006-07-02 17:46:40 · answer #8 · answered by Robert A 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People are scared of spiders because they are seen as evil creatures out for blood.Spiders deserve our respect and consideration more than anything else.
2006-07-02 16:20:13 · answer #9 · answered by jsimpkinsv2002 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im scared of spiders. they look totally gross and can bite. one minute theyre in the corner, next minute somewhere else and u cant find them and they make those awful webs everywhere, they are all sticky and yuk! once a woman got bit by a spider and it layed eggs in her! it swelled up and when they cut it open, baby spiders came out of her!!! gross or wot?!!!!!!!!! i kill all spiders, i hate them.
2006-07-02 22:37:21 · answer #10 · answered by crophilia 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋