Fear of the great mole rat (zemmiphobia)

Zemmiphobia describes a fear of the great mole rat, a burrowing rodent known for its large front teeth and a life spent mostly underground. Meeting one in the UK would be very unlikely, so the fear tends to surface as unease around pictures, videos or nature programmes.

About this phobia

No clinical documentation has been found for this term, and it seems to exist mainly on online lists of phobias. The origin of the name is unclear. A fear of mice and rats in general is far better known and may be the closer match for anyone who recognises this feeling.

How it shows up

For most people a great mole rat is just an odd looking animal glimpsed on a nature programme. For someone with a real fear, the long front teeth, the small hidden eyes and the idea of a creature tunnelling unseen beneath the ground can bring a jolt of alarm far out of proportion to any risk. The feeling may arrive with a single photo in a social feed and then linger, so that the person waits for the clip to end before looking back at the screen. That sense of dread, rather than plain distaste, is what separates a fear from an ordinary dislike.

Common triggers

• Close up photos of large rodent teeth
• Nature documentaries about burrowing animals
• Videos of animals popping out of tunnels
• Scratching or digging sounds under floors
• Zoo exhibits with glass fronted burrows
• Pictures of pale, near hairless rodents

Where it shows up

• Watching wildlife programmes at home
• Scrolling social media late at night
• School or college biology lessons
• Visits to zoos or wildlife parks
• Gardens showing signs of digging animals

Symptoms

In your body

• Racing heartbeat
• Skin crawling or shivering
• Tight chest or quick breathing
• Sweaty palms
• Urge to pull back from the screen

In your mind

• Picturing the animal under the floor
• Fear mixed with strong disgust
• Struggling to shake off an image

What you might do

• Skipping nature programmes
• Asking others to check videos first
• Avoiding animal sections of museums or zoos

What may cause it

As this term has no clinical record, nothing specific is known about why it develops. What is understood about animal fears in general is that they often begin in childhood, can follow a startling encounter or a vivid image, and may be picked up by watching a parent react badly to rodents. Features that many people find unsettling, such as bared teeth and quick, darting movement, may play a part. Avoidance then tends to keep the fear going, because the mind never gets the chance to learn that a picture cannot cause harm.

How it can affect your life

Day to day, the effect is usually small, since great mole rats live in parts of Africa and are rarely seen in the UK. Even so, a fear that spreads to rodents in general can make a person tense in gardens, sheds or older homes. It can also turn a relaxing evening of television into something to dread.

Related fears

• Fear of mice and rats (musophobia)
• Fear of animals in general (zoophobia)
• Fear of confined spaces (claustrophobia)

Things that can help day to day

• Look at a cartoon or drawing of a mole rat before moving on to photos
• Practise slow breathing, making the out breath longer than the in breath
• Remind yourself the animal lives thousands of miles away
• Rate your fear from 0 to 10 and notice how it drops the longer you look

When to get help

If a fear of rodents stops you using your garden, staying in certain homes or enjoying ordinary activities, it is worth getting help. A GP can point you towards talking therapies, and a qualified hypnotherapist can also work with animal fears.

Explore more unusual fears in the rare phobias A to Z, or browse the common phobias.

About me

Common questions

Is zemmiphobia a real phobia?

The word appears on lists, but there is no record of it being studied as a separate fear. That does not make the feeling imaginary. Strong fears of rodents are common and tend to respond to the same kinds of support, whatever the animal.

How can you help?

I use hypnotherapy and NLP to change how your mind responds to the thing you fear, so the old alarm stops going off. Sessions are one to one over Zoom, and you get a recording of the hypnosis to listen to afterwards.

How many sessions will I need?

Many clients notice a real difference after one 90 minute session. If the fear goes back a long way, three sessions gives us room to make the change stick.

Further reading: Cleveland Clinic: Zoophobia · Medical News Today: Zoophobia · NHS: Phobias

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