A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa

About this book

Fully revised, this third edition of the best-selling A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa is a comprehensive guide to more than 150 dangerous and common harmless snakes in the region. Detailed species accounts, covering identification, behavior, reproduction and snake venom, are accompanied by full-colour photographs, distribution maps, and information boxes highlighting diagnostic features. The book also introduces the reader to snake biology and behaviour; gives guidelines for keeping snakes in captivity; and provides information on the prevention and treatment of snakebite. New information based on recent discoveries and research data has been included, and the taxonomy has been brought in line with recent changes in the classification of species and subspecies.

A readable and user-friendly guide that will be invaluable to herpetologists, snake collectors, students, campers, hikers and gardeners, or anyone who may want to know more about these fascinating and widely misunderstood reptiles.

Customer Reviews

Biography

Johan Marais, naturalist, photographer and entrepreneur, has contributed significantly toward the conservation of reptiles. He has lectured widely on the topic, is past chairman of the Herpetological Association of Africa and (past) co-ordinator of the Crocodilian Study Group of Southern Africa. He serves as a member of the Crocodile Specialist Group (Species Survival Commission) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Author of, and contributor to a number of books on reptiles, he has also written more than 200 technical papers and popular articles; presented papers at several symposia in South Africa and the USA; and has participated in a variety of television and radio broadcasts.