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Subconscious Bias Drives Negative Attitudes Toward Snakes
NC State University ^ | 10/21/21 | Laura Oleniacz

Posted on 12/12/2024 9:36:09 AM PST by DallasBiff

Snakes rank among Americans’ top animal phobias, and are among the most disliked animals globally. A new study from North Carolina State University finds that the dislike of snakes is subconscious and, to some extent, learned.

“Snakes are important,” said the study’s first author Audrey Vaughn, a former graduate student at NC State. “They serve as both important predators and sources of prey for other wildlife. They can also serve as important ecological indicators. This disdain that people have for them is something that impacts our ability to make sure they are well conserved. That in and of itself is a reason to better understand these attitudes and to try to figure out what can be done about them.”

(Excerpt) Read more at news.ncsu.edu ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: badgerbadgerbadger; democrats; godsgravesglyphs; snake; snakes
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To: DallasBiff
Many years ago I was planting a vegetable garden in Oregon.
A really strange looking snake slithered out of the tall grass / weeds next to the garden space.
The thing was almost three feet long and very colorful with a really neat pattern on it’s skin. I have no idea what it was. -

Correction (I just looked it up) it was probably a king snake -


California represents home base for both the California King Snake
and the California Mountain King Snake. A small population of both species spill over into the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon.

A very colorful thing it was. Looked like an aquatic coral snake in coloration -
but I doubt that it wandered inland 50 miles from the ocean.
Which is good - coral snakes are poisonous, but king snakes are mostly harmless.

The snake disappeared under the house (crawl space) and I never saw it again.

21 posted on 12/12/2024 10:00:54 AM PST by GaltAdonis ( )
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To: DallasBiff

No poison snakes here in western WA, just those little garden type which are harmless, they take care of the mouse problems. Now then, spiders creep me out.


22 posted on 12/12/2024 10:00:56 AM PST by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: DallasBiff

When I was a scout, our troop camped on Kelley’s Island in Lake Erie. One sunny day a couple of us decided to hike to the north end of the island. We were told there were slate shelves there that were as flat a pool tables. We found them and, as we approached, literally the entire beach slid into the water. It was thousands of black snakes that were sunning themselves on the slate.

There wasn’t much sleep for the rest of the week.


23 posted on 12/12/2024 10:07:19 AM PST by econjack
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To: DallasBiff; GaltAdonis
A California Mountain King snake is what I saw -
it had some red stripes on it…
24 posted on 12/12/2024 10:15:53 AM PST by GaltAdonis ( )
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To: DallasBiff

Always had a fear of snakes. One summer a few years back, there was a large black rat snake (completely harmless to people) in the yard and I forced myself to catch him by hand (gently lifting by the tail the way Steve Irwin did on those croc hunter shows). Moved him around a bit and put him down and picked him up a couple of more times and then moved him to the back and put him down on the other side of the fence (which I’m sure he could find spots to go under but it’s the thought that counts). He seemed fairly chill the whole time about everything. Even though I knew he was harmless, the heart rate was still racing doing this and he was maybe three and half feet long give or take. No other animal or insect or whatever gives me the slightest concern, but snakes always freaked me out but I wanted to just see if I could do it. My neighbor has killed four copperheads in the two decades we have lived here but so far I haven’t seen them in my yard. I would kill them to on sight as well if I did see them by the house. I am in northern VA so they aren’t abundant but there are some of them around.


25 posted on 12/12/2024 10:22:02 AM PST by AlanSC (Guns have two enemies: Rust and Politicians )
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To: I want the USA back

All the snake loverrs here should google “bad snake bite wounds”. Tap the view image option on the blurred images. That’s why I fear snakes. I distinguish between poisonous and non-poisonous.


26 posted on 12/12/2024 10:22:55 AM PST by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: DallasBiff

If I found a poisonous snake in my yard I would relocate it to a distant place.
I hike a lot in the Mohave desert and I see diamond backs and green mohave’s
I’m in their word and I will not hurt them


27 posted on 12/12/2024 10:24:42 AM PST by South Dakota (Vance / Trump...2028)
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we moved from southern cal to southern mo..was out in a barn of ours and saw 2 HUGE black snakes and i started screaming. Wife comes out and asks what my problem was. Showed her the 2 snakes and asked her to get a gun to shoot them. She laughed and i ran to the house to get a gun. When i got back outside my wife had them two snakes over her shoulders. Unreal i HATE snakes...but i leave them alone now, where ever they are found


28 posted on 12/12/2024 10:25:22 AM PST by curdogmen (Ladner Yellow Blackmouth Curs...Kemmer Stock Mountain Curs)
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To: DallasBiff

When Satan, the Serpent, was in the garden of Eden, he was obviously not yet in the form of a snake. It was only after God cursed him and told him, “on your belly you shall go, and eat dust all your days”, that he took the form of a snake. That, coupled with its slithering sneaking ways, is why people have an aversion to snakes. There are many creatures that crawl around through the dust, but they aren’t cursed. And they don’t move along on their bellies; they have legs. The snake is the lowest of low.


29 posted on 12/12/2024 10:32:42 AM PST by Flaming Conservative ((Pray with ceasing))
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To: DallasBiff

I would have decapitated it, too. Copper heads can kill you, especially the young ones.


30 posted on 12/12/2024 10:33:39 AM PST by Flaming Conservative ((Pray with ceasing))
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To: All

New York has three venomous snakes: the timber rattlesnake, the massasauga rattlesnake, and the copperhead


31 posted on 12/12/2024 10:37:55 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: grey_whiskers

Released the day after Wray announced his retirement?


OT -— Retirement my foot. Lobbyest, msnbc “contributor”, paid speaker, leftist board member?


32 posted on 12/12/2024 10:38:41 AM PST by Flaming Conservative ((Pray with ceasing))
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To: DallasBiff

Smokey Bear wants me to prevent forest fires. Just say no to flames.


33 posted on 12/12/2024 10:46:15 AM PST by Irenic
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To: DallasBiff
Badgers : animated music video : MrWeebl | 1:13
Weebl's Stuff | 946K subscribers | 33M views | 16 years ago
Badgers : animated music video : MrWeebl | 1:13 | Weebl's Stuff | 946K subscribers | 33M views | 16 years ago

34 posted on 12/12/2024 10:47:59 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Politics do not make strange bedfellows, and the enemy of your enemy may still be your enemy.)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

35 posted on 12/12/2024 10:48:08 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Politics do not make strange bedfellows, and the enemy of your enemy may still be your enemy.)
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To: MNJohnnie

Obviously.


36 posted on 12/12/2024 10:52:27 AM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: Larry Lucido

Or Schwartz Gyorgy?


37 posted on 12/12/2024 10:52:57 AM PST by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: 1Old Pro

“New York has three venomous snakes...”

You forgot democrats.


38 posted on 12/12/2024 10:57:46 AM PST by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: DallasBiff

As Indiana Jones said, “I hate snakes”.


39 posted on 12/12/2024 11:00:31 AM PST by Retain Mike ( Sat Cong)
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To: DallasBiff

40 posted on 12/12/2024 11:02:06 AM PST by Pilsner
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