Review: A brief but fascinating introduction to snakes
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 13, 2013
I'm not scared of snakes, but I'm not completely comfortable with them either. Nevertheless, every year I accompany my reptile-loving wife to the local Repticon show to make sure she doesn't bankrupt us by buying several expensive snakes.In any case, Matthew Taylor's short book is a much less expensive introduction to the fascinating world of snakes. The book includes a representative sample of snakes from the tiny brahiminy blind snake to the giant anaconda. Some snakes give live birth, although most species lay eggs. There's a description of snake biology, what snakes eat, and how they digest their meals. Snakes are found on every continent except Antarctica, where it's too cold for them to survive. In colder areas where snakes do live, they survive winters by "brumating," a process analogous to hibernating. The book concludes with some interesting miscellaneous facts about snakes.I think both youngsters and their parents will enjoy this introduction to snakes. It's a basic primer intended give a brief overview of snakes without getting very technical or going into too much detail. The color photographs are very helpful, and some of them are really cool, like the one of a heron eating a green snake.