The fear of snakes, also known as Ophidophobia has been around for ages, while most of the fear is warranted, some of the fear is purely mythical and comes as a result of hollywood movie magic.
In the 1981 Movie Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark, the fear of snakes is shared by Indy. His famous quote, “Snakes, why did it have to be snakes,” while almost comical in reference, it also has it serious side.
In a 2009 study,psychologists found that both adults and children could detect images of snakes among a variety of non-threatening objects, quicker than they could pinpoint frogs, flowers or caterpillars.
Many researchers link this to evolution and the human’s natural survival instincts. Being able to detect danger in the wild would undoubtedly be a crucial trait to surviving before the industrial age.
So perhaps this fear is warranted and is not completely comical or unwarranted, after all more than 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year.
Most of the bum raps snakes get come from the poisonous cousins, like the Black Mamba, which can kill a full grown man in less than a half hour. More than having a potent bit the Black Mamba is also the world’s fastest snake, reaching speeds of up to 14 m.p.h. indigenous to Africa, the only “black mamba” they are use to is Kobe Bryant, and many are happy about that.
“I hate snakes, I’ve heard about the Black Mamba, cause of Kobe Bryant, but I’m glad I don’t live in an area that has them,” said German Lopez, a Cerritos College student.
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