FLORIDA TIMES-UNION (Jacksonville) 26 September 04 People fear snakes and vice versa
Aiken, S.C.: Plenty of people are afraid of snakes, but one scientist has been trying to find out if snakes might be equally afraid of people.
As it turns out, they are.
Xavier Glaudas, a student at the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab, wanted to find out whether one of the most feared snakes --the venomous cottonmouth -- becomes more even-tempered after prolonged exposure to humans.
During the test, each snake was picked up at mid-body once a day for 20 seconds with a mechanical hand fashioned from tongs and a glove.
Observers recorded each snake's behavior (gaping, biting, striking, tongue-flicking or releasing of musk), and the experiments were repeated over five consecutive days.
Glaudas concluded his subjects become tamer over time. Although two snakes did not change their behavior, the remaining 11 snakes calmed significantly during the test cycle.
In a subsequent round of testing 10 days later, Glaudas found snakes gradually recover their original defensive behavior over time.
People fear snakes and vice versa