Review: 200 to 400 Vertebrae!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 12, 2014
Children will be immediately drawn into this book as the first chapter is entitles 'Snake Pretzels.' The author then goes onto having you imagine life with no arms and legs. "How would you open a bag of potato chips? How would you open the door to your home?"Did you know that as humans we have 33 vertebrae and 24 ribs but a snake has between 200 and 400 vertebrae and just as many ribs?The other sections are:No Legs! No Problems! Special scales on their belly called Ventral scales. Four different ways a snake can travel along - concertina, serpentine, sidewinding and caterpillar.Flying Snakes?No Taste in Snakes? All about the snake's senses.A Snake's Skin - Did you know it takes about 14 days to complete the molting process?Big Mouths and Sharp Fangs - Snakes swallow their food whole and can swallow prey 3x bigger than them.On the Menu - They are not picky eatersDefend Yourself! Approx. 2700 species of snakes.Basketball, Football, Snake Ball - Reproducing time! Lots of males compete for one female trying to persuade her that he is the one she wants.Snakelet (baby snake)The Water Snake - Anacondas *The Speed Demon - The Black Mamba is so named due to the color of the inside of its mouth NOT the color if its external skin. *The Inflatable Snake - Cobras * The Indian Chief - Corn snakes *The Striped Snake - Garter snake * The Adjustable Snake - Inland Taipan * The Tree Snake - Python * Night Vision Goggles - Pit Organ* The Musical Tale - Rattlesnakes * A Fast Swimmer - Sea snake * Endangered Snakes?Well illustrated. Language is simple but not too simple that children do not learn anything. A great introduction to the world of snakes.