Why are people afraid of snakes?

[Bogertophis]

In monkeys, it's actually an instinctive fear...many snakes are venomous where monkeys live, so this is important for survival, & this fear has been shown to be inborn,
not just learned socially. Doesn't matter whether or not we evolved from apes, because either way, it's interesting & relevant since we share many traits & intelligence.

For humans, we absorb an awful lot of fear just in social contacts while growing up: kids tease & scare each other, we see scary movies on TV (& get sucked in even
though greatly exaggerated) & often (speaking for myself) we may have grandparents (or other older family members) that pass along their negative feelings & fear of
snakes. Good thing some of us want more proof & don't believe everything we're "told" to. When this country was settled, snake bites from venomous snakes did
a lot more damage than in our modern world, with better medical care that's more accessible. But you can imagine being in remote locations, say in the old West, and
a rattlesnake bite would be pretty devastating; now, bites are most often the fault of the human, trying to catch or interact (show off) recklessly with snakes.

Most of the snakes in the U.S. are harmless...not all, but if you grow up some place like Australia, most are venomous. It's all about "Location location location"...
Places around the world have very deadly vipers & cobras etc.-I can understand the panic if bitten...they cannot always get good care, or quickly enough. Bites happen
to those farming, typically, not those in cities so much. And antivenin may be in short supply, or prohibitively expensive.

When I first got a pet snake, I was shocked to find out just how much subconscious junk about snakes was tucked away in my head: it came out in my dreams, even tho
I was curious but not afraid of the snake I'd been given when awake. But after about 2 weeks, those disturbing dreams disappeared. That was many years, many snakes
ago... Since then, I've done many programs with my snakes to help educate ppl about all snakes (both pets & local native wildlife) some were formal talks,
like with the rattlesnakes I used to keep (for 20 years) & many were just fun "meet & greets" where I watched with amusement to minds being changed, once people got
to meet a snake up close & even touch one of my calm & totally un-threatening snakes (& by the way, none have ever "acted up" while going public). They really do say
things like "I never expected that I would EVER touch a snake, much less actually LIKE holding one!?" and they mean it. Seeing is believing...holding is even better.

It's no fun to be afraid of things...especially if it's a serious phobia...but many people can't help it...they can't often remember when it even started. We cannot change all
minds, but every one we change helps. That means fewer ppl on the roads, deliberately running over snakes, or killing them near their house & garden for no reason.