For reference:
https://gizmodo.com/are-humans-hardwired-to-detect-snakes-1453865235
I had a moment last week where I stopped before I consciously recognized a snake. The poor thing was dead, but it reminded me that I’d read about this happening before. However, since I know about it, I could be reading into my response. When I’ve asked other people, a couple have been like “oh, I think I had that happen once.” But that’s all anecdotes I’ve biased by telling them the theory.
Nevertheless, I enjoy the anecdotes, and I’m also curious if other people think it’s real.
Pretty sure I have the opposite of this. I almost pissed on a rattlesnake once. Totally didn’t even notice it until I’d already squatted over it and it rattled at me. I scrambled away and we were both fine, but I was in its strike range and had no idea.