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In Defense of Spookies
Description
With Halloween just around the corner, many of our minds are drawn to all things spooktacular. To many people, the spookiest of spooks — and the source of the most common animal-centric phobias — are snakes and spiders. But do these creepy, slithery, jittery critters deserve their bad reputation or are they just the victims of bad PR?
In this episode, two Aquarium experts and resident spider- and snake-friends delve into the how and why of arachnophobia and ophidiophobia and explain why these legless and (some would argue) too-many-legged animals deserve more respect than fear.
Episode cast
- Casey Phillips, communications specialist and host
- Rose Segbers, entomologist II
- Charlie Olson, herpetologist II
Resources
- Scary and nasty beasts: Self-reported fear and disgust of common phobic animals: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bjop.12409
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency guide to snakes of Tennessee: https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/reptiles/snakes.html
- Seriema prey-thrashing behavior: https://youtu.be/mg7Qxr70IR0?si=GunddScc7l1Bb7c4
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