Fear of

frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough skin texture due to ...

and toads is both a

specific phobia Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder, characterized by an extreme, unreasonable, and irrational fear associated with a specific object, situation, or concept which poses little or no actual danger. Specific phobia can lead to avoidance of the o ...

, known simply as frog phobia or ranidaphobia (from '' Ranidae'', the most widespread

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of frogs), and a

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic (supernatural), magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly app ...

common to the folkways of many cultures.

Psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, mood, emotion, and behavior. Initial psychiatric assessment of ...

specialty literature uses the simple term "fear of frogs" rather than any specialized term. The term batrachophobia (fear of

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

s) has also been recorded in a 1953 psychiatric dictionary.

Cultural beliefs

Some cultures accord the sight of a

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

as a bad

omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient history, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages ...

. Other cultures regard the sight as a good omen. Portuguese shopkeepers use ceramic frogs to deter

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

people, and also serve as a marker of anti-Romani prejudice. A common myth says that to touch frogs and

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

s may give one

wart Warts are non-cancerous viral growths usually occurring on the hands and feet but which can also affect other locations, such as the genitals or face. One or many warts may appear. They are distinguished from cancerous tumors as they are caus ...

s. A survey carried out by researchers from the

Johannesburg Zoo The Johannesburg Zoo or Joburg Zoo is a zoo in Johannesburg, South Africa. The zoo is dedicated to the accommodation, enrichment, husbandry, and medical care of wild animals, and houses about 2000 individuals of 320 species. Established in 1 ...

have shown that in modern times old superstitions play a less significant role and modern children are more concerned whether frogs are venomous or harmless.

As a phobia

Phobia against frogs often happens after seeing frogs die violently. One case of severe fear of frogs has been described in ''

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry The ''Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research on psychopathology, primarily from an experimental psychology perspective. It was established in 1970 and is publish ...

'' in 1983: a woman developed an extreme fear of frogs after a traumatic incident in which her

lawn mower A lawn mower (also known as a grass cutter or simply mower, also often spelled lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a lawn, grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by ...

ran over a group of frogs and killed them.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fear Of Frogs Zoophobias Frogs Frogs in culture Superstitions

Cultural beliefs

As a phobia

See also

References