The Scale of Things to Come A new book by Peter Stafford examines the complex ways in which snakes live.
Few animals evoke such strong emotions in humans as snakes.
They are loathed, feared, admired or worshipped the world over. Moving gracefully without limbs, swallowing meals often several times larger than their own heads, and with many having venomous bites, they never fail to fascinate. There are 2,930 species of snakes inhabiting almost every part of the globe. They specialise in living in a range of different environments. Some are adapted for life in water and never venture onto dry land, while others are found only in the highest tree tops of rainforests, or spend much of their lives burrowing underground in dry, sandy deserts.