Thank god I'm not the only one!! Not sure why, but I'm 37 and have always been freaked by taxidermy. Mostly - full mounted Bison! eeeee!! NEw Cabelas store opening in my city, I really wanna see the products but will have to go with a friend that doesn't mind nails in their arm!!
agree by: Anonymous
I think it might be the surprise aspect that scares me, or being in a room all alone with it. Because if im prepared for it, i can walk up to it with someone standing next to me. like there used to be a dead stuffed lion (HUGE!) in a jungle setting in this restaurant near my house. if someone walked me up to it, i could calm myself down and stare at it. but if i was walking somewhere alone and I happened upon it when not expecting it, i would probably have a heart attack!! i have no idea where this fear comes from.
finally! by: Anonymous
I have TERRIBLE phobia of taxidermy animals on the wall. deer, buffalo, any sort of animal head or fish! that is on the wall that should not be. i get panic attacks, run from wherever it is, cry hysterically and uncontrollably, hyperventilate, etc. i've never encountered anyone else being scared of anything even remotely similar & i've suffered from this fear since i was four. from this fear i developed an intense fear of deer..no pictures, outlines, absolutely nothing. and antlered animals. i can't walk into certain stores or friends houses and christmas time is the worst.
same fears by: Anonymous
i have the same fear. i clearly remember being afraid to go down the toys r us aisle with the big inflatable pools hanging from the ceiling because of the scary whales. i also was terrified of that sudly's shower thing, which was an elephant head that went over the shower head. i never owned it, but even thinking about it spraying me in the shower still scares me. i used toi be afraid to go into kmart bc they had a fake deer in their hunting aisle. and usually when i go into a basement or attic, i make someone go first to check if there are any stuffed animals or big objects that are human or animallike. some murals scare me too, if they have underwater scenes. i dont know where this came from.
cant believe it! by: Amy
I could cry right now, I can't believe someone else has this phobia... I have always been terrified of the blowup whale u r talking about.... as I'm getting older it getting worse and now I'm afraid of all blow up pool toys, mostly animal ones... I hate big plastic animal things... the worst part is that have know idea why, and my parents don't either... the starring thing somewhat works for me, but mostly just calms me a little.
Wow by: Malauri (Flint, MI)
I can't believe that I found someone else with the same phobia as me! I've been searching for years, after everyone has been telling me I'm crazy. Have people laughed at you when you tell them, or had a panic attack? They think it's funny. But we all know that it's not.
My fear started when I was 2 or 3. I was at my uncle cottage in the woods where they had a HUGE taxidermy fish on the wall. I was staring at it and someone came up behind me and said "If you stare at it long enough, it will eat you." I get panic attacks and start crying when I run into one now days. I'm 22. I've been trying to find help to get over this fear for years, but insurance won't cover it. It RUINS my life. I have to call restaurants I've never been in before to see if there are any, and if there are I won't go.
automatonophobia?? same here. by: heather
i have the same phobia. i can remember it starting when i was 4 too. my parents took me to a company christmas party at my mom's boss' house where i walked into a taxidermy wolf. i have panic attacks if i see them now and im 21. i have to have someone go in to restaraunts or stores before me and make sure the coast is clear before i can go in. im also afraid of wax museums. its the eyes that stare blankly that bothers me. i have been researching and i cant find a name for the phobia of taxedermy, but the closest one is automatonophobia, which is the fear of human like inanimate objects.
