Ophidiophobia

Ophidiophobia or ophiophobia is the abnormal fear of snakes. It is sometimes called herpetophobia, which is a fear of reptiles or amphibians. The word comes from the Greek words "ophis" (ὄφις) meaning snake, and "phobia" (φοβία) meaning fear.^[1]

A person with ophidiophobia would be scared of this photograph.

This is a phobia, so it does not include people who do not like snakes or fear them for their venom. A person with ophidiophobia (called an ophidiophobe) not only fears them when in live contact, but is scared to think about them or even see them in video or still pictures.^[2]

About a third of adult humans are ophidiophobic, making this the most common reported phobia.^[3] Scientists think that mammals may have an innate fear of snakes. This was vital for their survival as it allowed such dangerous threats to be identified immediately.^[4]