Snake Appeal

Serpentine prints provide a fashionable upgrade, but overdoing it may expose you to reptilian ridicule

By Nadine Kam

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 07, 2013

~~<p>I'd venture that ophidiophobia, an abnormal fear of snakes, is one of the most common of phobias. The only reason the name of this particular phobia doesn't roll off the tongue is that — save for the occasional traveling stowaway or runaway contraband pet — Hawaii's isolation made it impossible for snakes to get here on their own. (We do share the land with Ramphotyphlops braminus, but the Hawaiian blind snake is not only harmless, it's also no bigger than a worm and wouldn't even scare a bird.)</p>
<p>The Year of the Snake is the perfect time to seek out fellow snake people, said to be wise and soft-spoken, skilled communicators.</p>
~~

I'd venture that ophidiophobia, an abnormal fear of snakes, is one of the most common of phobias. The only reason the name of this particular phobia doesn't roll off the tongue is that — save for the occasional traveling stowaway or runaway contraband pet — Hawaii's isolation made it impossible for snakes to get here on their own. (We do share the land with Ramphotyphlops braminus, but the Hawaiian blind snake is not only harmless, it's also no bigger than a worm and wouldn't even scare a bird.)

The Year of the Snake is the perfect time to seek out fellow snake people, said to be wise and soft-spoken, skilled communicators. Login for more...