Snakes

This is one of three awesome herp books that photographer John Netherton and writer David Badger collaborated on. It's such a pity that Mr. Netherton passed away when they were working on their third book, the lizards volume, since they probably would have produced equally great books on newts and salamanders and turtles and tortoises, the other two major herp groups they hadn't done yet. This particular book is loaded with beautiful photos of snakes, and lots of great information on them. There's information on, to name just a few subjects, snake photography, the importance of snake conservation (many people might have an irrational fear of them, but they have to admit that snakes do humanity a very valuable service through natural pest control), our relationship with snakes throughout history, families and species, snakes in literature, reproduction, vision, skin, hibernation, locomotion, and thermoregulation. There's also a wonderful two-page spread in the middle of the book, giving common and scientific names for a whole lot of different snakes. Snakes featured in the photographs include the North American rough green snake (one of my new favorite species of snake after reading about how fascinated the specimen was by Mr. Badger's rotating screen saver), pigmy rattlesnake, tiger rattlesnake, king cobra, Western green mamba, two-striped forest pit viper, eyelash viper, monocled cobra, mud snake, kingsnake, milk snake, corn snake, ring-necked snake, Columbian rainbow boa, and Burmese python. There are so many amazing snakes I learnt about through this book, both venomous and non-venomous, dangerous and docile. There were also some surprises, such as the story behind the docile king cobra, whom the zookeeper described as very sweet, not the image at all that most people have of such a snake. This book should be recommended not only to people who already love herps, but also to people who are open to learning more about the wonderful world of snakes. These fascinating creatures deserve our respect, admiration, and protection, instead of being feared, hated, and killed.

I thought this book was excellent for the most part. The photos were AWESOME, and really makes a person realize the true beauty of snakes. The snake profiles and fun facts were supurb, and I personally learned a lot. This book is an excellent read for those who want to learn more about the wonderful serpents of the world.