Snakes in Question, Second Edition
The Smithsonian Answer Book
1st Edition
Published on 10. March 2015
200 pages
978-1-58834-515-8 (ISBN)
Description
This new edition of Snakes in Question has been completely updated to take into account the most recent research available, offering useful scientific information about snakes while dispelling many widely-circulated myths and common fears. Accompanied by 100 stunning color photographs and written in the popular question-and-answer format of Smithsonian's "In Question" series, the book tells how snakes breathe, hear, smell, and much more. It covers not only the life cycle of snakes but also explores such phenomena as the rattlesnake's rattle, the viper's hiss, and the snake charmer's secrets. It addresses common folktales about snakes (do snakes milk cows?) and describes giant snakes, both real and imaginary. The authors also give expert advice on such subjects as distinguishing venomous species from harmless look-alikes and keeping snakes as pets.
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09/2004
2nd Edition
Smithsonian Books
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Book
09/2004
2nd Edition
Smithsonian Books
€43.50
Article exhausted; check different version
Persons
George R. Zug is curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. He lives in Virginia. Carl H. Ernst is Distinguished Professor of Biology at George Mason University and the author of numerous books, including Snakes of the United States and Canada. He lives in Virginia.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- .1. Snake Facts
- What Are Snakes?
- How Do Snakes Differ from Lizards?
- How Are Snakes Built?
- How Do Snakes Breathe?
- How Do Snakes Crawl and Swim?
- Can Snakes Crawl Backward?
- How Do Snakes Climb?
- Can Snakes Fly?
- Do Snakes Dig Burrows?
- How Do Snakes See?
- What Are Pit Organs?
- Do Snakes Hear?
- Can Snakes Smell?
- Do Snakes Taste Their Food?
- How Do Snakes Find and Subdue Their Prey?
- How Is Venom Used in Prey Capture?
- How Does Constriction Kill?
- Do All Snakes Kill Their Prey before Eating It?
- What and How Do Snakes Eat?
- Why and How Do Snakes Shed Their Skin?
- Why Are Snakes Striped, Banded, or Blotched?
- How Do Snakes Get Their Colors?
- When Is an Albino Not White?
- Can Snakes Change Colors?
- How Do Snakes Grow?
- Do Snakes Grow throughout Their Lives?
- How Fast Do Snakes Grow?
- How Long Do Snakes Live?
- What Does It Mean to Be Cold-Blooded?
- Why Do Snakes Bask in the Sun?
- Are Snakes Ever Warm-Blooded?
- How Do Snakes Spend the Winter?
- Do Snakes Hibernate Like Mammals?
- Where Do Snakes Hibernate?
- Do Snakes Huddle Together to Keep Warm?
- How Do Snakes Reproduce?
- How Do Snakes Find Their Mates?
- How Often Do Snakes Mate?
- Do Female Snakes Brood Their Eggs?
- How Many Eggs or Young Are Produced?
- Do Female Snakes Protect Their Young?
- Do Snakes Have Enemies?
- What Sounds Do Snakes Make?
- How Does a Rattlesnake Rattle?
- Do Snakes Make Other Sounds?
- How Do Snakes Defend Themselves?
- Do Snakes Get Sick?
- What Are Some Common Diseases of Snakes?
- Do Snakes Have Parasites?
- Do Snakes Get Cancer?
- Do Snakes Feel Pain?
- When Did the First Snake Appear?
- How Are the Ages of Fossil Snakes Determined?
- How Many Kinds of Snakes Exist Today?
- How Are Snakes Classified?
- How Are Snakes Related?
- .2. Folktales
- Why So Many Falsehoods?
- What Supernatural Powers Are Attributed to Snakes?
- Which Tales Are True?
- Are Snakes Cold and Slimy?
- Do Snakes Hypnotize Their Prey?
- Do All Venomous Snakes Have Triangular Heads?
- Are All Hooded Snakes Venomous?
- Do Injured Snakes Die before Sundown?
- Do Snakes Have Special Odors?
- Are Hoop Snakes For Real?
- Do Snakes Chase People?
- Do Mother Snakes Swallow Their Young?
- Do Snakes Milk Cows?
- Do Venomous and Nonvenomous Snakes Interbreed?
- What Other Strange Tales Are Told about Snakes?
- Can Snakes Be Charmed?
- .3. Giant Snakes: Big and Biggest
- What Qualifies as a Giant?
- Anacondas
- Reticulated Python
- African Rock Pythons
- Indian Python
- Australian Scrub Python
- Boa Constrictor
- Asian Ratsnakes
- King Cobra
- Taipans
- Bushmaster
- Mambas
- Other Giants and Near-Giants
- .4. Snakebite
- Venomous or Poisonous: What Is the Difference?
- What Is Venom?
- How Many Snakes Are Venomous?
- Where Are Venomous Snakes Found?
- Which Snakes Have the Most Potent Venom?
- How Do Fangs Work?
- How Is Venom Injected?
- Do Snakes Spit Their Venom?
- How Dangerous Is a Snakebite?
- How Do You Avoid Snakebites?
- If Bitten, What Next?
- What Is Antivenom?
- Can Venom Be Used as Medicine?
- .5. Snakes and Us
- Why Are Snakes Important to Us?
- Why Do I Have Snakes in My House?
- How Do I Keep Snakes Out of My House and Yard?
- Should I Keep a Snake as a Pet?
- How Can I Become a Snake Specialist?
- What Remains to Be Learned about Snakes?
- Appendix 1. Classification of Snakes
- Appendix 2. Slower than They Seem: Locomotion Speeds of Select Snakes and Other Animals
- Appendix 3. Herpetological Organizations
- Glossary
- General Bibliography
- Subject Bibliography
- Taxonomic Index
- Subject Index
- About the Authors
