12 scary critters right out of a horror movie (& where to find them) – The Wilderness Society

There is no such thing as an evil animal. Indeed, even those creatures we deem merely scaryand on which we base countless horror movieshave gained that status through generations of cultural conditioning, the effects of which become even more pronounced the more detached we are from nature in our day-to-day lives (after all, we especially fear the unknown).

That said, our brains may be hard-wired to find certain animal attributes frightening (for example, dark coloring or sudden, unpredictable movements). At this point, some animal fears are so widespread as to be effectively normal. This is true even if, as in the case of spiders, our fear and discomfort is completely disproportionate to the actual danger they pose to us.

Whatever the root cause, wild animals have featured prominently in our horror traditions, from tales around the campfire to the mostly terrible animals attack genre of movies. As another Halloween rolls around, and with it yet more wildlife newspresented to elicit maximum clicks, it may be time to salute the scary animals in our midst and, especially in cases where a little image rehabilitation is in order, find out where we can observe them on their home turf. From the legitimately scary to the merely misunderstood, the following creatures make an ideal Halloween menagerie.

Continued here:
12 scary critters right out of a horror movie (& where to find them) - The Wilderness Society