Pit Viper book
- Thread starter Tramonte172
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Rubio, M. (1998). Rattlesnake: Portrait of a predator. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press.
This book offers a perspective on the natural history and the anatomy of Crotalus and Sistrurus with good consideration to readers of all levels. The author's other profession is photography; plenty of beautiful pictures are found throughout the book.
Ernst, C. H. & Ernst, E. M. (2011). Venomous reptiles of the United States, Canada, and Northern Mexico: Crotalus. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
This is a scholarly book; if scientific scrutiny is an important factor to your readership. This book offers the most up-to-date overview of scientific findings (academic journals and other scholarly publishing) in Crotalus species that engages in synthesis and analytical comparison of datasets, rather than merely offering a laundry-list of secondary sources. My only regret is that the study area is geographically bound above the Northern hemisphere, leaving more than a handful of interesting animals unrecorded.
Klauber, L. M. (1982). Rattlesnakes: Their habitats, life histories, and influence on mankind. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
I'm actually reading this book right now. Klauber is a household name in Rattlesnakes, and it's not disappointing thus far to say the least. Everything from their bodily functions, behaviour, prey items, and reproduction. Additionally, a good portion of the book is dedicated to their relationship to humans including the effects of the bite, treatment of the bites, and how they're perceived/used in different cultures.
Gumprecht, A. et al. (2004). Asian Pitvipers. Berlin: Geitje Books.
Unfortunately it's out-of-print. If you have some (or a lot of) extra cash, you can even purchase a copy from amazon - $850 for used and $1,200 for a new copy. Although the study area is limited to Asia, I hear it's one of the best books on arboreal pitvipers. I've been looking for one at a reasonable price for a while, maybe you will have better luck.
I'm also looking forward to additional suggestions from other users.
This book offers a perspective on the natural history and the anatomy of Crotalus and Sistrurus with good consideration to readers of all levels. The author's other profession is photography; plenty of beautiful pictures are found throughout the book.
Ernst, C. H. & Ernst, E. M. (2011). Venomous reptiles of the United States, Canada, and Northern Mexico: Crotalus. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
This is a scholarly book; if scientific scrutiny is an important factor to your readership. This book offers the most up-to-date overview of scientific findings (academic journals and other scholarly publishing) in Crotalus species that engages in synthesis and analytical comparison of datasets, rather than merely offering a laundry-list of secondary sources. My only regret is that the study area is geographically bound above the Northern hemisphere, leaving more than a handful of interesting animals unrecorded.
Klauber, L. M. (1982). Rattlesnakes: Their habitats, life histories, and influence on mankind. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
I'm actually reading this book right now. Klauber is a household name in Rattlesnakes, and it's not disappointing thus far to say the least. Everything from their bodily functions, behaviour, prey items, and reproduction. Additionally, a good portion of the book is dedicated to their relationship to humans including the effects of the bite, treatment of the bites, and how they're perceived/used in different cultures.
Gumprecht, A. et al. (2004). Asian Pitvipers. Berlin: Geitje Books.
Unfortunately it's out-of-print. If you have some (or a lot of) extra cash, you can even purchase a copy from amazon - $850 for used and $1,200 for a new copy. Although the study area is limited to Asia, I hear it's one of the best books on arboreal pitvipers. I've been looking for one at a reasonable price for a while, maybe you will have better luck.
I'm also looking forward to additional suggestions from other users.
No problem at all. I should be getting Vol. 1 (Heloderma, Agkistrodon, Sistrurus, Micrurus..) of that series soon.
Venomous reptiles of the western hemisphere ($125)
venomous reptiles of north america (another one by ernst) ($30)
snakes and other reptiles of borneo has a good bit on the venomous species and offers a different perspective than the crotalid-centric northamerican volumes (it's also cheap and a quick read). ($15)
For a more broad knowledge foundation check out Herpetology by Vitt and Caldwell. There is some info on toxicology and the evolutionary need for venom which is nice. ($75)
venomous reptiles of north america (another one by ernst) ($30)
snakes and other reptiles of borneo has a good bit on the venomous species and offers a different perspective than the crotalid-centric northamerican volumes (it's also cheap and a quick read). ($15)
For a more broad knowledge foundation check out Herpetology by Vitt and Caldwell. There is some info on toxicology and the evolutionary need for venom which is nice. ($75)
I usually get my books from amazon, I'll compare the prices between the US site (+international shipping) and the Canadian site. In some cases the US way is actually cheaper for me.
You could also save some money buying used, but I personally stopped buying used books online after my last one.. It smelled like it was used for an ashtray, only after 2 months of quarantine in a ziploc bag with 2 full boxes of dry cleaner sheets it became readable.
I actually just got a really good one from my school library.
Venomous Snakes: Snakes in the Terrarium (2004) by Ludwig Trutnau. I love this book already; 300 pages of it is dedicated to species description, natural history and husbandry - from A to Z. I will probably end up wanting a copy of this.
You could also save some money buying used, but I personally stopped buying used books online after my last one.. It smelled like it was used for an ashtray, only after 2 months of quarantine in a ziploc bag with 2 full boxes of dry cleaner sheets it became readable.
I actually just got a really good one from my school library.
Venomous Snakes: Snakes in the Terrarium (2004) by Ludwig Trutnau. I love this book already; 300 pages of it is dedicated to species description, natural history and husbandry - from A to Z. I will probably end up wanting a copy of this.
Thanks snakeguy, I've got my 'Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Borneo' on the way. Gotta love that temple viper on the cover.