Top Ten Legitimate Animal Phobias

published September 9, 2009

A phobia is an irrational and persistent fear and anxiety. Some fear small spaces, some fear strangers. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 1 in 10, or even as many as 1 in 5 suffer from some sort of phobia. Fear can be a good thing. Fear can be a tool for human survival. Fear teaches us not to try to wrestle bears. Phobia's on the other hand are the next degree. A picture, a TV show, or even the mentioning of the phobia will send the sufferer into a panic. Some of the most common phobia's are from animals. Here are the ten most common (probably).

#10 - Frogs/Toads (Ranidophobia/Bufonophobia) - Warts, swamps and ugliness are what you get from frogs and toads. It's easy to see why this is a fairly common phobia. Overcome it, and you may get transform one into a prince. That, or you'll get poisonous secretion on your lips.

#9 - Sharks (Selachophobia ) - If you're swimming on a surf board in the open ocean, you resemble a tasty sickly seal, a prime meal for a shark. What's not to fear about sharks? If they like the taste of you, you're toast. If they don't like the taste of you, they'll take a huge bite with their 3 rows of barbed teeth, and shake you loose.

#8 - Cats (Ailurophobia)  - It's hard to imagine how anyone can have an irrational fear of these cute, aloof, cuddly, purring kitties. Perhaps they know something we don't. Perhaps the evil kitties are plotting the demise of humankind, as Adolf Kitler pictured above is obviously doing.

#7 - Birds (Ornithophobia) - Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" did what "Arachnophobia" did for spiders. Birds can be pretty scary though, because if you're not careful they'll peck your eyes out. Don't forget about the negative connotations attributed to ravens, crows, pigeons, and vultures too.

#6 - Worms (Scoleciphobia) -  "I got worms" is enough to send someone with this phobia into a heavy sweat and panic. This phobia may originate from anyone who's seen a worm come out the eye socket of a dead corpse.

#5 - Mice/Rats (Musophobia/Suriphobia) - Indiana Jones' dad mays have suffered from this phobia. It's a good thing too. Had he suffered from Ornithophobia (fear of birds), he may not have shooed all those birds away with his umbrella and saved the day. Also, rats give you bubonic plague, Hantavirus and dozens of parasitic infections so yeah, stay away from them.

#4 - Bees (Apiphobia) - This is a phobia in which I may have a minor case of, despite not being allergic. Bees are like the World War 2 Kamikaze pilots of the insect kingdom. They'll glady give their lives in service of the emperor (Queen Bee). In doing so they pack a nasty punch. Sorry, that's just too crazy for me. Keep them bees away.

#3 - Dogs (cynophobia) - Dogs are unpredictable. You can have a loyal and beautiful pitbull for 10 years, but suddenly it snaps and kills your baby (true story). Even the little Napolean complex dogs are to be feared, having to prove their little bark with a big rabies infested bite. Also they eat their own poo and vomit and have rabies.

#2 - Snakes (Ophidiophobia)  - This fear goes back all the way to the days of Medusa, the nasty serpent woman of Greek Mythology that turns you into stone with her gaze. Christian theology only furthered this fear by making Satan himself a snake that sure made a fool out of Adam's rib (Eve). It also doesn't help that many snakes are poisonous and can kill you with a bite, or that cobra's will spit venom in your eyes and blind you.

#1 - Spiders (Arachnophobia) - Finally we have a phobia which affects millions of Americans. Since early humankind, we've been ingrained to have a fear of spiders (except for that loveable Charlotte). A tiny arachnid with enough venom to put you down is definitely a scary thing. Especially since they like to hide inside your shoes, or in your pillow case. One is probably crawling up your leg right now.

* * * * *