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The snake is a psychologically very strong stimulus that causes intense fear in a large part of the population and also causes one of the most common specific phobias. According to the evolutionary hypothesis, the universal spread of fear of snakes is the result of selection pressures, since venomous snakes have been a source of mortal danger throughout human evolution. Previous psychological research has therefore used the snake as an archetypal fear trigger. However, snakes as a group are highly variable in terms of morphology, coloration, venom, and behavior. The results of individual studies suggest that different snake species elicit different neural responses, with fear-inducing snakes more likely to activate the primary visual cortex and adjacent areas responsible for visual processing and maintaining selective attention. Humans, even without any knowledge, demonstrate the ability to recognize and specifically respond emotionally to dangerous venomous snake species.