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There are over 500 named phobias that you can find listed on the Internet, and probably even more than 500 websites devoted to the subject! Keeping up with the ever-growing list of phobias can seem to be a Herculean task. This article focuses on those specific to animals.
Zoophobia
Among the fear of animals you will find very specific classifications. Zoophobia is the all-encompassing term applied to the general fear of non-human animals…the presence of which produce panic, nervousness, anxiety, and all the classic phobia reactions in the afflicted individual. The following classifications list the terms associated with that phobia.
Creepy crawly things
Not surprisingly there are many names for the fear of spiders, snakes and other such animals:
- Fear of spiders & ants: Arachnephobia (spiders); Arachnophobia (spiders); Myrmecophobia (ants)
- Fear of amphibians: Batrachophobia (frogs, newts, salamanders, etc); Bufonophobia (toads) Ranidaphobia (frogs.)
- Fear of reptiles or creepy, crawly things: Herpetophobia; Ophidiophobia (snakes); and the imaginative Snakephobia (snakes)
- Fear of mice & rats: Muriphobia (mice); Musophobia (mice); Suriphobia (mice); and Zemmiphobia (the great mole rat)
- Fear of worms: Helminthophobia (worm infestation); Scoleciphobia (worms); Taeniophobia (tapeworms); and Teniophobia (tapeworms)
- Fear of parasites & lice: Parasitophobia (parasites); Pediculophobia (lice); Phthiriophobia (lice)
The family pet
Just as cats feel they reign in their homes, they also reign when it comes to the number of named phobias: Ailurophobia; Elurophobia; Felinophobia; Galeophobia; and Gatophobia
Dogs, on the other hand, prove to be man’s best friend again by having only one assigned phobia, Cynophobia. This one includes the fear of rabies as well.
Don’t get bugged
Insects, bees and moths can claim many titles:
- Fear of itching or of the insects that cause itching: Acarophobia; Entomophobia (insects); and Insectophobia (insects)
- Fear of bees: Apiphobia and Melissophobia
- Fear of stings: Cnidophobia
- Fear of bats: Chiroptophobia
- Fear of termites, insects that eat wood: Isopterophobia
- Fear of moths: Mottephobia
- Fear of wasps: Spheksophobia
In the wild and on the farm
There are surprisingly few phobias that are listed which relate to animals in the wild or found on the farm:
- Fear of wild animals: Agrizoophobia
- Fear of bulls: Taurophobia
- Fear of birds: Ornithophobia
- Fear of chickens. Alektorophobia
- Fear of horses. Equinophobia; Hippophobia
And finally, those in the sea
The movie “Jaws” did nothing to help those with fear of sea animals:
- Fear of fish: Ichthyophobia
- Fear of otters: Lutraphobia
- Fear of shellfish: Ostraconophobia
- Fear of sharks: Selachophobia
Help with the symptoms
There is no cure for Zoophobia, but there are many treatments available to lessen the severity of the symptoms. Your personal physician can guide you towards options that may include:
- Behavioral therapy - talking it out with a therapist or in a group
- Desensitization sessions - limited exposure to animals in a controlled environment
- Therapy animals – involving animals specifically trained to help people in distress
- Medication – prescribed to reduce the severity of panic reactions
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