Everyone has their own unique quirks or unwarranted dislikes of things like clowns, spiders or vegetables. I have an irrational fear of monkeys, and in order to add some legitimacy to it I am going to explain why.
Monkey Fact: Monkeys use vocalizations, facial expressions, and body movements to communicate.
The fact that monkeys are able to communicate in a very similar way to humans, freaks me out.
Monkey Fact: You must avoid eye contact with monkeys and move away from them in a calm manner.
If you know me you know I am big on eye contact. I don’t like avoiding eye contact, especially because a monkey will become aggressive if my eyes agitate them. I’ll avoid eye contact, but I don’t like it.
Monkey Fact: Monkeys express affection and make peace with others by grooming each other.
If you watch monkeys long enough they will sit and groom each other, another very human-like gesture…sort of. I realize many animals do this with each other, but watching monkeys with their nimble hands and little human looking feet pick bugs off each other freaks me out.
Monkey Fact: Monkeys peel their bananas and do not eat the skins.
How do they know to not eat the skin? I sometimes peel my cucumbers even though I know I can eat the skin and be fine. How do the monkeys know to peel them? Also, they have the smarts to find the end and peel the banana one bit at a time. It freaks me out.
I’ve seen monkeys find zippers on bags and un-zip them, I have watched their feet and hands pick things up and walk in an entirely too human-like way.
Monkey Fact: They sneak up behind you and pull your hair!
Ok, this was kind of cute…but it did hurt!! He was grooming me so I am assuming trying to make peace with me! I am working on diplomatic relations…
Monkeys might be cute and cuddly to you, but they freak me out!
What do you have an irrational fear of?
Sources: Monkey Facts, Wanttoknowit
Remember the scary monkey in Chiang Mai that bared its teeth and charged? Yikes!
I still love that pic of you!
That monkey was possessed!
This all seems very rational to me. I can see why monkeys freak you out.
My irrational fear is of snakes. Ive never had a bad experience or traumatic event, but I pass out when they’re too close to me anyway. For real. Irrational.
I have a weird fascination with snakes – I have a fear of them but I always want to see them in the wild… from a safe distance!
For example, next week in the Amazon I have told my guide I want to see an Anaconda… but from a safe distance 🙂
Flying, being in the ocean, live crabs, eels (on a plate or otherwise), sticky paper (like, majorly) and ceiling fans. But, quite frankly, I consider all these fears perfectly rational!
Having read your reasons for monkey fear, I’m considering adding monkeys to the list 😉
We just got back from the Galapagos and Crabs are quickly being added to my “I do not trust list”!
I also have fear of monkeys like you. But I suggest that you visit Batu caves in Malaysia. The monkeys there are really funny because they drink coke and pepsi. 🙂
I might not be as fearful of a coke drinking monkey.. that would be something to see!
Nothing to be afraid off, they are lovely animals. But you never know what they can do.
This is true, they are sneaky with a mind of their own 🙂
haha awesome article. So I, like many people, have an irrational fear of clowns, but also mimes, people in Big Bird costumes… Basically, anything that is dehumanizing. On the flip side, I also am weirdly afraid of anything that humanizes animals or babies. Talking animals and babies on TV FREAK ME OUT. Mr. Ed, Beverly Hills Chihuahua,the E*Trade Baby… That shit messes me up!!!
My favorite from your list is “people in big bird costumes”… I don’t run in to many of those, but I suppose if I did… I would be a bit freaked out! 🙂
Such funny monkey observations! We just saw our fair share of wild monkeys at the Zhangjiajie national park in China, and what I find to be seriously weird is their ears — they look so much like ours (or is it more correct to say ours look like their?). We literally saw a monkey walk towards a couples snatch away their plastic bag filled with food, plop down on the ground and eat the entire contents of the bag. So glad that wasn’t our food for the day!
We were always on guard that they wouldn’t take our bags. Even with all the warnings, people still carried their bags right over the monkey’s heads and then got mad when they got them taken away!
Yes! There are others like me! My mom also has an irrational fear of monkeys because one did try to “hold her hostage.” She had a friend that had a pet chimpanzee which wouldn’t let her leave the room (everyone else left unscathed).
My irrational fear of monkeys was when I encountered them, twice. First time I held a pet monkey which was so human-like, it freaked me out! The second time was in a monkey room with about a dozen or so baby monkeys. They all gravitated to me, pulling on my hoodie and glasses while I stood there petrified and frozen.
Many people find my phobia “funny” as I am an animal lover (I’ve had everything from snakes to ferret to parrots to dogs). Additionally, I graduated with a degree in biology and I am a medical technologist. This may contribute as my career emphasizes on microbiology (among other human diseases/fuctions). Maybe I have read too many books where a zoonosis was harboured by a monkey but ironically, I have no fear of other “genetic incubators” such as pigs or birds (I don’t know about bats just due to the activity cycle is the opposite of mine, not to mention I don’t regularly encounter bats frequently).
What triggered your phobia of monkeys?
I don’t find it irrational. They are freaky creatures. They stare and bite and scratch and stalk you in the trees. Ugh.
My fear of monkeys came to me last year when I went to the Malaysian Murugan temple. It tried to bite me and even climbed on my jeans but my dad saved me. From that day I got the phobia for monkeys.
Thank you!!! I knew I was not alone. I’m currently in Bali and had to abort my tour of the Uluwatu Temple because of MY irrational fear of monkeys! “”They’ll leave you alone if you leave them alone….don’t make eye contact…”. Everything in your article is exactly why I find monkeys creepy!! Friends and family think I’ll be missing out if I don’t visit The Monkey Sanctuary while in Ubud. I think the name of the place says it all. I’m good!