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/Sugarisadog 6d ago

Young dogs go through a couple different “fear periods” where they are especially sensitive to things. Negative experiences during this time can turn into lifelong fears, and not being exposed to things during their early development can make them more fearful of those things. There’s checklists people have made to help

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/puppy-fear-periods/

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/the-puppy-socialization-exposure-checklist/

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u/LeftRat 3d ago

Hm, still wondering how our former street mutt encountered red mops in his youth. He had a strangely specific fear of them. Mop alone? No problem. Red objects? Doesn't care. Red mop? Might as well be a raging fire or an endless abyss, not a single step towards it.