No One Stops for Snakes: Why Some Animals are Adored and Others are Feared

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I went on my daily afternoon walk to my local park. As I walked, I noticed a foul stench coming from the air. It was that familiar stench of something that had died and was left baking out in the Florida heat.

A few feet from where I was walking was a dead opossum. It was taken to the side and was taken care of. Away from cars that were passing by.

A few feet later was a different sight.

In the middle of the road was a black racer. His body was starting to flatten like a pancake and was sticking to the concrete. I whisper a quick prayer to St. Francis to assure they make it to the Rainbow Bridge and continue on my way.

Even during my trip to the park, the image stuck with me. Not because I was asking why the possum was taken care of, but why was the snake left behind like disposable garbage. Just to be flattened by passing cars.

It’s rather interesting how possums have received a massive turnaround in terms of perception from humans. They are seen as cute and dopey marsupials who house a wide variety of benefits to the environment like pest control.

However, I remember a point in time where possums did NOT receive that kind of attention. I remember being the odd one out and being made fun of for liking possums. I also heard all about the lies of possums.

“Don’t come near one! They have rabies!” One would say.

But, possums getting rabies is low. Not zero. But, low. This is because their body tempurature makes it hard for the virus to survive. However, they are still a vessel for diseases like tuberculosis.

This lead me to my biggest question:

Why do people adore certain animals but other animals are feared?

As I was doing research, there’s a couple of conclusions that I came to.

For starters, people are guilty of anthropomorphizing animals. Anthromorphizing refers to the act of giving humanlike qualities of an animal. You know those videos that claim that the chimpanzee is smiling at you because it’s happy to see you? Yeah, that…uhhh…that’s not true. Chimpanzees typically “smile” as a threat display.

Another aspect is how we closely relate to animals that have similar traits as us. Mammals being the prime example of this. Aside from the fact that WE are mammals, there is also the fact that mammals have fur, indicating softness. They have forward facing eyes and familiar social cues that help us identify with them.

Popular media not only revels in anthropomorphizing mammals, but they also love to give them neonatal features as well. Features like big eyes, small mouths, clumsy movements, the whole nine yards.

To put it simply, the more babylike something is, the more people respond to it.

To put babylike features on a reptile like a snake would be tricky. For starters, snakes hardly blink, lack limbs, and do not express emotions like mammals do. This makes it harder for us to relate to them. This is what is known as the baby schema, or kindchenschema if you want to be fancy.

Another aspect is Neoteny. Neoteny refers to juvenile or larval traits that are observed into adulthood. A classic example would be a cat “making biscuits”. Many scientists have concluded that is a byproduct of kittens pressing on their mom’s tummy to help produce more milk. Why they do it varies, but some have believed that it is a form of stress relief.

Another aspect is predator bias.

Our primate ancestors coexisted with snakes for millions of years. If it’s not size, it’s venom you have to worry about. Humans are predisposed to detecting snakes quicker than usual.

But, here’s the thing: only about fifteen percent of the world’s snakes are actually venomous. Most snakes, especially venomous ones, would rather flee than bite. For one, venom takes a while to produce and another is they would rather use that venom on prey.

In a video produced by ABC Science, there was an experiment done where the babies were introduced to snakes. The babies seemingly had no fear and went as far as to touch the animal. However, they were much more interested in their toys.

Scientists have come to the conclusion that ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes, like many phobias, is a learned one rather than an unconscious one like loud noises or heights.

[embed]Video Courtesy of ABC Science

Folklore and popular media have shaped how we view snakes.

The bible notoriously depicts a serpent tricking Eve into eating the Fruit of Forbidden Knowledge.

Here’s a fun fact: Did you know the Bible doesn’t say what fruit it specifically is? The apple motif likely stayed as an old pun from the Latin Language. Malum meaning apple and sounding phonetically to the word bad/evil Malum.

However, on the other side of the coin lies a fascinating contraction. As I was cruising through the cultural depictions of snakes, one thing stuck out to me:

Most of the cultures are ambivalent to snakes. They are neither good nor evil creatures. They are simply creatures.

In Japanese myth, you have Yamata-No-Orochi, an eight headed serpent who ate virgin women. However, you also have the yokai, the Tsuchiniko, a dopey snake.

In Indigenous Australian myth, the Rainbow Serpent is said to have created the earth through its movements. From rivers to mountains and even billabongs.

In Haitian Voudou, Damballah is the most benevolent lwa. He serves Bon Dieu (also Bondye). Much like the Rainbow Serpent, Damballah also used his scales to form the earth.

Even in Greek mythology the snakes have a positive connotation. The Greek god Asclepius had a staff with a snake wrapped around it. This has become the official symbol for medicine. Aptly appropriate considering he was the god of medicine. However on the flip side, you have monsters like the Hydra and Pythons.

A rattlesnake is prominently featured on the Gadsden Flag, a symbol for right libertarianism and later the Tea Party Movement. This flag actually originates from the Revolutionary War as a symbol of resilience and unity.

As you can see, snakes are presented in a nuanced manner. Snakes are creatures that have gotten a bad reputation due to survival instincts, psychology, and media. However, peeling back the layers shows an animal that we feared but also looked at with awe. They can be dangerous, but how they move around and look can be beautiful.

The next time you’re out on the road and encounter a snake, try not to cower in fear. Snakes, like any other animal, are more scared of us than we are scared of them. And you are reading an article from someone with severe ophidiophobia.