If Jaws is hands down the scariest movie you’ve ever seen in your life, you might have what they call galeophobia, or a fear of sharks. It seems unnecessary to even have a a name for this, right? I mean who isn’t scared of sharks? Well those who suffer from galeophobia have an intense fear of sharks, to the point where they refuse to go into the ocean at all.
Although shark attacks are a very rare occurrence in the US (30-40 a year), the number is definitely above average in 2015 so far. The reported shark attacks for this year even include one death in Hawaii, so your fear of these animals is definitely not unwarranted. Some people with galeophobia are afraid of the idea of a potential shark attack, while others are just frightened by the appearance of the creatures. Below are some pictures that might trigger someone with galeophobia- if they frighten you then you might have a mild version of it yourself!
Let’s start with Basking Sharks, which are straight nightmare fuel for any reasonable person. Imagine that thing swallowing you:
Reminds me of the anxiety I felt almost getting swallowed by this guy in Mario 64
Luckily for us, Basking Sharks aren’t interested in us. A small victory for galeophobia everywhere!
Here’s another type of shark that doesn’t really pose a threat to humans, but still really freaks us out. Freaking Goblin Sharks…
Does…does that thing have a mouth inside his mouth? WTF?? Fortunately these alien fish are deep sea dwellers, so it would be astronomically rare for you to encounter one.
Moving onto a shark that you should be slightly more worried about. Are Great Whites not the scariest animal? They are the #1 shark species responsible for unprovoked attacks on humans, ahead of tiger and bull sharks.
We’ll leave you with some scary shark GIFs to finish off the list =)
Is your fear of sharks on a galeophobia level? Or do you suck it up when you go swimming and say “whatever happens happens?” Either way, check out some of our other phobia lists, like scary samhainophobia pictures of Halloween, or creepy scopophobia pictures. You might discover a phobia you didn’t know you had, so thank us later!
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