Thread by @tjalamont, That's disgusting: a thread. People who follow my #Eddiethetortoise tweets know that [...]

That's disgusting: a thread. People who follow my #Eddiethetortoise tweets know that I also love other reptiles, insects, spiders... every critter. But I know not all people share my enthusiasms; some folks cannot abide things that slither or scuttle. (Some even get freaked out--

--by birds, although that's rarer.) People like me get used to our opinions & photos eliciting comments like "kill it with fire" and "nope nope nope." It can get old. But I try to let such comments roll off, because again, I understand not everyone thinks the way I do. Instead--

--I try to make it a conversation, to offer interesting bits of information I've learned and a photo or two as a calm rebuttal, an alternate point of view.

If you look for a common thread among the spiders & snakes & bugs & birds, it's that all of them are "other." They're--

--not built like us, they don't move like us, and especially: none of them have our facial expressions. Maybe since we can't read them, we don't trust them. And when you add venom & fangs to the mixture, then--

--stir in millennia of misinformation, a dash of cultural & religious myths, plus an all-important pinch of genuine frontier gibberish, these are hard prejudices to overcome.

I will say that a big part of me, the parent part, doesn't get it. I mean, if you've--

--raised (or spent much time around) human children, literally nothing should disgust you. Bugs are gross? Dude, please. Allow me to introduce you to this nuclear accident in a diaper.

One could write a book about animal myths--

--(and @alongsidewild has, in fact; a terrific one about snakes), so I can't cover them all here. But a lot of what we "know" is wrong. Like, in fact, most spider bites aren't spider bites. Unless you saw it chomp you or found its squished corpse under your leg when you sat on--

--the tuffet, that red welt is almost certainly something else.

Aside: Do you know how many people have died from a Black Widow bite in the last thirty+ years in the U.S.? None. Zero.

Do people get bitten by spiders and snakes? Yes, sometimes - which may be serious, so--

--caution is justified. A few snakes (fewer spiders) can be dangerous or even deadly, so if you're not sure what you're looking at, it's wise to leave it alone. In places with venomous snakes, there are almost always services that will safely remove and relocate them. If you--

--have Black Widows (most of N. America) or Brown Recluses (only in the South/S.East - so no, my pal in Montana, you don't have them, no matter what your friend swears) inside your home or around where your children play, you may need pest control help. But literally no snake--

--or spider wants to come at you, bro. They bite in self-defense, if they feel threatened. True, this can happen through no fault of yours - but realizing that they're not "attacking" you can maybe help you understand the why of their behavior, help you put yourself in their--

--eight (or no) shoes and avoid further conflicts.

Back to fear: In a study, 6-month old babies (so too young to have learned parental lessons) showed a pupillary dilation response to seeing pictures of spiders & snakes, vs. flowers & fish. But while widening pupils indicates--

--heightened awareness, it doesn't necessarily indicate fear. One conclusion is that we're born with extra readiness to learn the fear - but not with the fear itself.

Since there are plenty of folks like me, who don't fear snakes & bugs at all, it makes sense that these fears--

--are not innate but taught, often early in childhood: Don't touch, it's icky, that's poisonous, they bite, etc. We even give "scary" animals their own fear-vocabulary for simply existing: they don't live, they "infest."

Fears exist on a spectrum, from mild heebie-jeebies to--

--clinical phobias. They can be overcome, but it takes will and work, and I would never suggest that those with such aversions, especially serious phobias, be mocked or dismissed. I admire people who try to overcome their fears; I've had some great interactions with people--

--here trying to do just that. So I guess all I would ask is that even if your initial reaction to a creature is revulsion, remember that we don't all share that opinion. If you can, try to temper your response, and be open to learning something new.

To start a conversation...

...maybe think of it this way: Since insects, spiders, and other arthropods comprise over 80% of the animal species on Earth, being grossed out by them literally means saying "that's disgusting" to nearly everything that shares our planet.

Look, I'm not saying--

--you need to hug a bug or smooch a snake. But it's worth asking yourself: Is hating most of life... the best way to live?

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