Can You Guess the Animal Phobia?

It’s human nature to be afraid of certain animals. Never mind that you stand a better chance of being hit by lightning than nibbled on by a shark—those gaping jaws (and a litany of shark horror movies) seem to short-circuit our rational thinking.

If you find yourself flinching at spiders or jumping at the sight of a snake, you might be suffering from a full-blown phobia. See if you can match some of the more common fears to their formal name in the quiz below.

Fear of other living things can come from traumatic experiences—think an aggressive dog leaping out at your child self—or evolutionary necessity. Bees, spiders, and even cockroaches can be life-threatening, either due to venom or because they transmit disease.

If you do happen to harbor some low-key terror over an animal, you’re far from alone. Genghis Khan was thought to be terrified of dogs; artist Salvador Dalí got his hackles raised by insects, especially grasshoppers. In a panic, he once tried to remove what he thought was a tick from his body. It was only after scraping it off that he realized it was a mole.

Take Our Latest Quizzes: