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.
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 also scared to think about them or even see them in video or still pictures.
About a third of adult humans are ophidiophobic, making this the most common reported phobia. 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.
