Copperhead Snakes
Photo: Copperhead Snake
Credit: Davidson College
This evening, while we were out walking the doggies on a wooded path in her neighborhood, Phil said to me, "Look. A snake skin." I stopped and got a closer look and said, "No, that's a snake." To which she a replied, "No, it's a snake skin." We stopped about two or three feet from the snake and I said again, "It's a snake, see its tongue flicking?" Phil never wears her glasses on walks and couldn't distinguish the snake quite as well in the middle of the path, but upon closer examination she could see that it was indeed a snake.
Since we spent a good solid minute or so discussing the snake, I got a really good look at it. The snake didn't seem to be alarmed even though we stepped right over it. It had its head pointed up (just like the cobra yoga position) and stuck its tongue in and out, as snakes tend to do, and I said, "I think that's a copperhead," and we walked on.
Two very interesting things occured here. 1.) The dogs did not even notice the snake, and the dogs notice everything including bunnies 300 yards away. 2.) I have not seen a copperhead since I was about ten and living in Ohio (we were at the Murray's house).
The reason this is so interesting to me is because in my psychology research methods class, we duplicated an evolutionary psychology study that asked whether people were more prone to quickly recognize snakes than plants. The idea is that because primates are instinctively afraid of snakes, humans should and do have an innate fear of snakes simply because some snakes are dangerous and it would be to the advantage of the species to be instinctively afraid of snakes, and to recognize them quickly to get out of danger.
I thought this was total crap until today. The reason I thought this theory was crap is because I thought that fear of snakes was strictly a conditioned response (i.e., you're mother and everyone you know is afraid of snakes, so you're afraid of snakes). When I told my T.A. in class that I liked snakes (which is true), he thought I was crazy and laughed at me. I told him my theory about snake recognition being a conditioned response which he clearly also found to be absurd.
Today, however, I decided there may be some truth to the theory (although I won't give in completely), and here's why:
I am still only slightly swayed. My conditioned response to snakes is not fear. My dad likes snakes, so I like snakes. I did not experience fear when I saw the copperhead tonight, just curiosity. Phil also did not experience fear, and neither did the dogs, even though it was an actual threat to all of us and could have easily killed Jack Jack (the Jack Russell Terrier) or significantly harmed the rest of us.
Who knows, and in case any of you were wondering, it really was a copperhead snake. I got a really good look at its head.
For more on Copperheads, click here: Copperheads in NC
For more on the Fear of Snakes Study, click here: Fear of Snakes
Photo: Copperhead SnakeCredit: Davidson College
This evening, while we were out walking the doggies on a wooded path in her neighborhood, Phil said to me, "Look. A snake skin." I stopped and got a closer look and said, "No, that's a snake." To which she a replied, "No, it's a snake skin." We stopped about two or three feet from the snake and I said again, "It's a snake, see its tongue flicking?" Phil never wears her glasses on walks and couldn't distinguish the snake quite as well in the middle of the path, but upon closer examination she could see that it was indeed a snake.
Since we spent a good solid minute or so discussing the snake, I got a really good look at it. The snake didn't seem to be alarmed even though we stepped right over it. It had its head pointed up (just like the cobra yoga position) and stuck its tongue in and out, as snakes tend to do, and I said, "I think that's a copperhead," and we walked on.
Two very interesting things occured here. 1.) The dogs did not even notice the snake, and the dogs notice everything including bunnies 300 yards away. 2.) I have not seen a copperhead since I was about ten and living in Ohio (we were at the Murray's house).
The reason this is so interesting to me is because in my psychology research methods class, we duplicated an evolutionary psychology study that asked whether people were more prone to quickly recognize snakes than plants. The idea is that because primates are instinctively afraid of snakes, humans should and do have an innate fear of snakes simply because some snakes are dangerous and it would be to the advantage of the species to be instinctively afraid of snakes, and to recognize them quickly to get out of danger.
I thought this was total crap until today. The reason I thought this theory was crap is because I thought that fear of snakes was strictly a conditioned response (i.e., you're mother and everyone you know is afraid of snakes, so you're afraid of snakes). When I told my T.A. in class that I liked snakes (which is true), he thought I was crazy and laughed at me. I told him my theory about snake recognition being a conditioned response which he clearly also found to be absurd.
Today, however, I decided there may be some truth to the theory (although I won't give in completely), and here's why:
- I like snakes, but I don't recognize types of snakes easily (I can recognize garter and black snakes easily, and that's it).
- Since I have only seen a copperhead once in my life, and didn't get a good look at it then, why is it that I was able to retrieve information from my mental archives, which allowed me to recognize and identify the snake which I had only briefly seen as a child?
- Perhaps, and only perhaps, it was instinct.
I am still only slightly swayed. My conditioned response to snakes is not fear. My dad likes snakes, so I like snakes. I did not experience fear when I saw the copperhead tonight, just curiosity. Phil also did not experience fear, and neither did the dogs, even though it was an actual threat to all of us and could have easily killed Jack Jack (the Jack Russell Terrier) or significantly harmed the rest of us.
Who knows, and in case any of you were wondering, it really was a copperhead snake. I got a really good look at its head.
For more on Copperheads, click here: Copperheads in NC
For more on the Fear of Snakes Study, click here: Fear of Snakes
Photo: Copperhead SnakeCredit: Davidson College
1 comment:
I AM AFRAID OF SNAKES! I would have turned and walked the other way. That is surprising about the dogs not noticing though.
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