Plain Language Summary: Understanding biophobia: which animals do we fear the most?

By Karl Zeller, Nicolas Mouquet, Cécile Garcia, Guillaume Dezecache, Audrey Maille, Julie Duboscq, Luca Morino, and Xavier Bonnet.

Read the full paper here.

Fear of animals (biophobia) is a universal human experience, with some species making our hearts race and others barely attracting our attention. If it makes evolutionary sense to fear predators and venomous species, we seem to fear other harmless animals disproportionately. This fear is known to affect individual mental health but has other adverse and broader effects, like undermining global biodiversity conservation efforts. In that respect, animals that are the subject of animosity are less likely to be the focus of conservation efforts and priorities, despite their critical roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

To find out which species people most fear and which factors influence fear responses, we asked more than 17,000 people from around the world to take part in an online survey, which aimed to reveal the ranking of 184 different animals on a fear scale. We found that the saltwater crocodile was rated as the most frightening, while the European rabbit was rated as the least frightening. Unsurprisingly, dangerous animals such as large carnivores and poisonous snakes elicited faster and stronger fear responses. However, some harmless species such as bats and non-venomous spiders and snakes also ranked high on the fear scale, despite posing little or no threat to humans.

Why do we fear harmless animals? Our results suggest that socio-cultural influences are key. Younger people were more likely to find spiders frightening, perhaps due to learned fears from parents or exaggerated portrayals in movies. In some regions, animals like pythons were more feared, possibly because of beliefs or rare incidents. Sensationalised media coverage and movies often reinforces these fears, spreading misconceptions that are passed down through generations. This mismatch between real danger and perceived fear may also be growing in urbanised societies, where more and more people are disconnected from nature.

To avoid this detrimental worldview and promote healthier relationships with the natural world, one could foster positive interactions with wildlife through nature-observation activities and education, which could benefit both human well-being and conservation.