can any one tell me why people fear snake?

Answer 1

Some snakes are poisonous, and could kill people. The snakes that aren't poisonous can also kill (particularly the restrictor kind of snakes), but people are still afraid of small, harmless snakes. As for those snakes, it's mostly just a belief that even harmless snakes can be dangerous. Although those snakes can still bite, and being bitten does hurt.

Answer 2

There's a multitude of reasons, from being taught by parents and society that snakes are deadly, being scared by a snake while young, religion (Garden of Eden), to simple misinformation. For instance, some people think all sankes are poisonous, which is completely false, there are actually no poisonous snakes at all. There are a few venomous snakes (quick way to tell the difference, if you bite something and die, it was poisonous. Is something bites you and you die, it was venomous), but most snakes will turn tail and run (well, slither) at the sight of humans. Another reason is the media. I can think of dozens of movies where the villain either was a snake (Anaconda) or used snakes to try and kill people (Snakes on a Plane). News people know that sensationalist stories equals good ratings, so if someones dies and there's a possiblity their pet burmese or reticulated python might have been involved, they're going to be on that story like white on rice. Another reason is some people simply don't know that mostsnakes are timid, reclusive creatures, and assume that all snakes are deadly, aggressive, evil creatures. Finally, in many religions (particularly Christianity), snakes are considered evil, or that they represent the Devil. Snakes no more represent evil than goats, cats, or people.
In summation, there are many reason people might fear snakes, but the best and most effective tool against this fear is education.

Answer 3

Some of the fear is learned-it made sense to parents of other generations to teach their children to fear all snakes since they couldn't identify which ones were not harmful to a young child...Somehow that got worked into cultures as "snakes are bad".

Knowledge is the best way to overcome fear, but it must be taken slowly. My 81 year old father and 75 year old mother have gone from not wanting to step foot in my house to be able to come over and look closely while I hold the snakes. I just talked about the snakes not in a defending way, but in a friendly way, just like I talk about the dogs....."Elvis shed today, etc...."

When my parents would come over I would point out if the snake was doing something interesting....and pretty soon my parents started asking questions....

When they seemed really curious I took out Scarlett, my smallest and friendliest baby corn (asking first if they were ok with it...)

Now they actually ask about the snakes when I call....no , I don't think they'll be reptile enthusiasts, but I do think they changed their perceptions a bit.

Answer 4

I think most people have an innate fear of the unknown. In the case of snakes, it is made worse by the fact that some can kill you and, unless you're an expert, you don't know which ones. Also, the ones that can't kill you may still bite and as a rule, most people don't like being bitten.

For the record, while I leave venemous snakes alone, I think the others are great!

Answer 5

Its possiable there is a genetic factor at play. Naturally if you have a built in fear of snakes you chances of surviving would be greater. Maybe its genetic. Just a guess. Other guesses would be the way they move, look, etc. also a persons upbringing (being told that snakes are dangerous) very often plays a factor.

Answer 6

It's learned. When kids get to an age where parents can communucate well with them or when they start to really comprehend what's going on with the TV, they start to learn that snakes are harmful. Snakes bite. Snakes kill you. Snakes grow 50 feet long and have glowing eyes. Etc.

I've never been afraid of snakes. I remember a time when my sister, 2 years my junior, played with little garter snakes I had caught--she had to be about 3-4. By the time she was in junior high she was afraid of snakes and had never been bitten by one. She was taught to fear snakes, and I can even remember when--she was about five when we moved to the edge of the Mojave desert. My father (afraid of all snakes, even garters) gave the "vicious- malevolent-deadly-man-eating- snake" type speeches. She must have believed it. I did not.....

.....which led to my getting the mother of all beatings because of the "snake living in the box under the bed" incident. Geez, it was only a kingsnake.....

Answer 7

The word "snake" scares some people, without even seeing one! I got scared once, when i was about 5yo, playing in a creek, spotted a red belly black, i ran at 100 miles an hour to get away.
Now i keep two pythons as pets, plus lizards. a lot of people have that "fear" word of snakes because of they're reputation. They don't realise a snake will bite you for its own protection, leave it alone it wont bite.

Answer 8

Mainly because people see them as horrible killers from t.v. and movies. People think when they touch them their going to be slimy and grows. Or they've had or seen a bad experience involving snakes. I owned a 6 ft. python for 2 years and none of my friends would go near it for fear of it biting them. Even if I held it they wouldn't go near it. It all depends on the type of snake they come in contact with determins wether people will fear it or not. Hope I helped you.

Answer 9

i think people fear snakes because they just don't know any better. aside from poisonous snakes (it makes sense to fear those), most people are just raised to fear snakes. they think they're "slimy" or "gross". most people have never even touched a snake. if they did they would know snakes are smooth as silk, not slimy at all.

and people who get killed by constrictors are few and far between. they are mostly inexperienced people who get a huge snake to be "macho" but lack to experience to properly handle the snake. if you go into a 15ft burmese python's cage smelling like rabbit when your snake hasn't eaten in two months...you're asking for it.

Answer 10

A lot of it is because of Hollywood movies. A lot of movies portray snakes as flesh eating monsters. that is probably the number one reason and other than that sum people just don't like the way snakes always look evil.