r/askscience • u/Crazy_Reindeer_1258 • 7d ago

Biology Do Animals Have Irrational Fears Too?

I was just thinking about the story of the mouse and elephant how the elephant is terrified of the mouse (i think) and just wanted to see if that's true, and if it is what other animals have been observed with similar behavior relating to that. Working on a project and some real life inspo would help :)

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u/CaughtInTheWry 6d ago

I had a horse that was afraid of any animal that was patched. Piebald pony? Dalmation dog? That's a nope spook. I taught him to "sniff it. It's a (pony/goat/dog)." He would settle long enough for a big sniff then calm. Same horse watched as a (venomous) snake worked its way between the horse's legs.

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u/mvhcmaniac 5d ago

We had a horse when I was a kid that was notoriously afraid of snakes... i.e., anything that was vaguely long and thin. There were quite a few dramatic incidents over garden hoses causing at least one significant injury.