Living Snakes of the World in Color [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION It has been said that introductions to books are often written, but seldom read. With that in mind this introduction to Living Snakes of the World will be brief. The book is intended to present an overview of the some three thousand species of snakes living today. The selection of the representative species has presented any number of difficulties, for all snakes are of both scientific and general interest. Nevertheless, the final selection has emphasized those that are most often seen in public reptile exhibits and private collections, or kept as "pets." It is hoped that the combination demonstrates the overall diversity of the snakes, and makes the book of value to herpetologists, both amateur and professional, reptile hobbyists, and the general reader. The format is essentially standardized, a means of presenting a mass of generalized information in a concise manner while not neglecting details pertinent to the species discussed. Although this book in no way purports to be a manual on captive care, brief notes on captive care have been included. These are included primarily on behalf of snakes already captive, and for those individuals whose only source of information is often overly simplified or obsolete literature. The inclusion of captive care notes is not to be construed as encouragement to keep any snake, harmless or venomous, captive, but rather to underscore the responsibiUty that any living thing, including the food animals, imposes upon its captor. Those readers famihar with the technicalities, current interpretive techniques, and variables in taxonomy (the science of classification) will understand the problems of remaining abreast of vaUd changes in technical names. The taxonomy used here is current at the time of writing. In those cases where technical names remain in flux, e.g., Bothrops, both the proposed current name and the more familiar one have been used. The conservation of snakes requires mention. Snakes are just as important to the closed ecosystem called Earth as are other animals, as well as plants. Unfortunately, they lack the emotional appeal of tigers and seal pups. However, both seal pups and snakes would benefit more from the actual control and preservation of habitat than the proliferation of regulations specifically addressed to individual species. Unfortunately, in a synthetic environment where many people view a city park as a "wild place," many conservation regulations and programs do little to salvage the remnants of the natural world.