Few people are casually indifferent to snakes. Whilst many people view them with undisguised fear and loathing (mainly because of a lack of knowledge when it comes to snake ecology and biology), there is also a group of passionate snake lovers, a community of people enchanted by the colours and behavioral characteristics of these fascinating reptiles. For the latter, the book Venomous Snakes of the World by world-renowned herpetologist Mark O’Shea (you have probably seen some of his adventures on Animal Planet or Discovery Channel) will be a great read. The book covers most of the well-known and more obscure venomous snake species in Eurasia, The Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. From the gargantuan king cobra (maximum size almost six meters), the extremely venomous inland taipan to the relatively tiny false horned viper, many extremely fascinating and highly diverse snake species are covered. The texts include information on the size, venomous potential, ecology, geographical distribution and anatomical characteristics of each of the featured species. The texts in the opening part of the book discuss snake anatomy, taxonomy and snake venoms and their actions. The book also offers some astonishing eye candy. Over 180, often downright stunning photographs show some very familiar, but also quite a decent number of extremely rare snake species, animals that are often breathtakingly beautiful (the rhinoceros viper, green mamba, European sand viper, Mangshan pit viper and Eastern diamondback rattlesnake are striking examples) and pretty enough to change even the opinions of those who aren’t that keen on our slithery reptile friends. A great read that will satisfy every real snake lover out there.
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