Why are so many people afraid of harmless snakes?

I beleive that peoples fear of snakes generally has been passed down from generation to generation ever since adam and eve,since it was a serpent that tricked eve into tricking adam and god cursed the serpent to crawl on his belly for all eternity,people assume snakes are evil. However,snakes are just like any other animal.the more you know about them,the safer you are. For instance,my uncle lived with us for a good part of my young life.he was a snake wrangler,in other words,he caught snakes for a living.I was raised around all kinds of snakes from cobra's to rattle snakes to python's. If you don't show them you are afraid and handle them with care,just like any other animal,you may get bitten or you may not.so just handle non poisoness snakes and you won't have to worry about the venom. I have been bitten many of times and I am still here and I still love snakes.

For the most part, people who are afraid of snakes are not educated about them. They've never had the opportunity to just let go and hold one...feel how they wind around you, etc. They just don't understand, they go by the "they feel slimy" line, and are too afraid of trying it. They are also afraid of being bitten. I love snakes and wish more people would.

people are scared of things they know nothing about and snakes have a bad rap of being "bad" and "dangerous" just like bats and other animals and creatures.

i hate snakes.....they look so ugly

I blame the little baby Jesus, because christianity has always made out that snakes are inheritently evil, when the truth is that most snakes are just little cuties.

they give me the creep crawlies feeling which i dont like.

My wife is afraid of snakes, even though she has never had an encounter with one. As for me, I happen to like snakes, and had you asked me to hold him, I would have jumped at the chance. Maybe it all began with the story of Adam and Eve.

I love snakes =) http://www.burmese-python.blogspot.com/

hmmm... how can be differientiate between harmful mor harmless snake???

Snakes are fine beasts and do a lot of good around us, same as spiders. I'm always amazed at peoples fear. It is so irrational. The person who is afraid of snakes will try and pet a baboon which is furry and cuddly!! I lived a long time in Africa and I only saw two snakes in all that time and they were wriggling away from me as fast as their little scales could carry them!! They are far more frightened of us than we of them and with just cause too. Most people try to kill them!!

I think to respond to that I would have to first point out that not many people know that they're not harmless. How can a person tell a harmless snake from a harmful one. I think that's the important thing. Either way, I'm afraid of pretty much all little creatures, especially snakes. I guess it's a phobia people have when they are young.

haha, gotta agree with ya there, people are PETRIFIED of snakes! i own a 2 yr old BP, and she is about 3 feet long, the most beautiful creature i have ever owned. even as i type this, she is resting after the huge meal of RAT that i just offered her. most ppl are afraid of snakes bcos i think it ois generally set in a humans minds to fear the unknown. my fren was very scared of approaching my snakes enclosure, but when she saw how docile and warm Sandy(my BP) is, she could not get enough of Sandy! it can even be seen in lil kids, who have never even seen a snake b4, not even in books! i tried an experiment w/my 2 yr old niece, and the poor thing was so scared of Sandy, even though she had no possible way of knowing what a snake is. as such, i believe that, since the time of ADAM and EVE, we have been ingrained genetically by GOD to fear snakes, as well as anything unknown. something very unique, i believe, to human beings. peace....

many people fear the unknown. just like with snakes most people think that all snakes are venomous, and that is whst makes them very afraid..

I too have a Ball Python. I never knew a snake could have a personality, but he does. He loves to swim in the tub, and he likes going for walks outside on my shoulder in the summer.

i think because when someone say "SNAKE" we all think at venin...bite...danger...etc... it`s a normal thing....even if they are harmless peace ! ..

Because they look scary. And they always play bad characters in movies.

some people hate spiders, mouses, dogs, cats etc. i don't hate snakes, i don't hate any animal at all. but i like active animals more! what you feel with your friend in your neck, i feel right know on my lap! there is a big cat lying on it!( i have 3) i think it depence on the size too, i mean if you are holding a 10cm snake or one that is about 1 meter! any way, have fun with your snake, and if there is a friend visiting you, put him back in his own "house"(only when he is scared ofcourse)

Not my first choice for a pet. I do find them fasinating though

you can tell a poisoness snake from a non-poisoness one by looking at their eyes. poisoness snakes have oval shaped eyes and non-poisoness snakes have round eyes. You can also tell by smell for some snakes. For instance if you are out in the woods and all the sudden you smell cucumbers, more than likely there is a copperhead close by. most snakes are more afraid of you than you are of it. if they attack it is mostly because they feel threatened.

our neighbor had a boa and it got lose and killed a baby three houses down..... they are not slimy but i still cant tolerate them near me.... i dont understand why anyone would want to keep any creature in thier home, out of its natural habitats