Science in the Snakepit

People have always been fascinated by snakes, but only during the last
few decades have researchers begun to reveal the secret lives of these
most mysterious of animals. Rick Shine is one of the most eminent of
those scientists, and his book describes the adventures and
misadventures of researchers who have investigated the ecology and
biology of these fantastic beasts - and sometimes, have paid with their
lives.


This richly-illustrated title chronicles the revolution in our
understanding of snakes, the new methods that have arisen to enable
those breakthroughs, and the serendipitous and often-chaotic processes
by which human beings accumulate insights into other forms of life.
Recent years have witnessed an incredible flowering of snake-ecology
research, with a rapidly expanding diversity not only of the snake
species being studied and the places where this occurs, but also of the
kinds of people making those discoveries.


Snakes are peculiar animals, and they attract peculiar people. This book
captures the thrills and perils of a worldwide scientific leap forward,
from fear and ignorance of snakes towards respect and understanding.
This professional biologist's ramble through the history of people's
attempt to understand the private lives of snakes - with lots of stories
about the eccentric pioneers - will appeal to anyone with an interest
in snakes and natural history.