Many species lie in ambush, hidden in cracks, crevices and holes, or camouflaged on vegetation, waiting to strike at insects that venture too close. Others claim that fear of spiders comes to us because spiders are simply “creepy.” It’s true that many spiders creep along on their eight legs in search of prey that consists of insects and other arthropods including spiders. And spiders are rarely aggressive toward humans they bite only in self defense. Fewer still are the number of species capable of producing bites with complications more severe than the average mosquito bite or bee sting. While virtually all spiders use their fangs to inject venom, the fangs of many of the more than 3,500 spider species in the United States are incapable of penetrating human skin. Yet there are a couple of problems with this theory.įirst, “arachnophobia” affects only a few of us – why not all of us? If spider bites can seriously harm or kill us, why don’t we all have an innate fear of spiders? This leads to another problem with attempts to justify the fear of spiders: On the whole, spiders just aren’t that dangerous. It’s been suggested that because some spider bites may have resulted in negative consequences for our prehistoric ancestors, that fearing spiders is adaptive, as it helps us avoid debilitating consequences. Of course, most of the negative publicity spiders receive is undeserved. Fear of spiders ranks as one of our greatest phobias, along with fears of snakes, heights and public speaking. It can be said that no other “bug” generates as much fear as the spider.
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