Customer Reviews

Dangerous Snakes of Africa: Natural History - Species Directory - Venoms and Snakebite

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The book is well written and very informative. The information regarding snakebites and how to address them is very good. It is a good field guide but the photographs are really too small. Also may times the photos show the head of the snake and not the whole animal. The information is top notch and it really shows the lack of documented information on african snakes. I would highly recommend it to anybody with an interest snakes

This is a very interesting and informative book. Rich in information aswell as magnificent photographs adding to the overall class of the book. A definte MUST for anyone seriously interested in snakes, especially african species.

This book is essential for any herper who is interested in the venomous snakes of Africa. Spawls and Branch do a great job of thoroughly, yet succinctly describing all of the venomous species found on the African continent (at least those known up to 1995), including diagnostic features, natural history, venom composition, and applicable bite treatment. It includes photographs for almost all of the species and subspecies described (with very few exceptions), and accurate, detailed diagnostic features and geographical distributions. This would make an excellent field guide for anyone lucky enough to go on a herping expedition in Africa. Some of the taxonomy has changed since publication, as would be expected in 14 years time, and there have been new species described since it's publication (which begs the question...when will there be a new edition?!), however this book is still a must have on every serious herper's shelf. It used to be quite pricey (~$300) on this and other reseller sites, but has recently seen a drop in price which makes it much more affordable...grab it before it shoots up again.

This book is an excellent piece of herpetological literature, and a must for any serious herpetological enthusiast or anyone with an interest in snakes. It offers somewhat detailed species description on African taxa, and is a valuable source of information about the continent's venomous species. The descriptions are divided into sections for each species, including identification, distinguishing characteristics, races (subspecies), similar species, behavior, distribution, habitat, natural history, venom, snakebite, case histories and treatment. Herpetologists, serious naturalists and herpetoculturists will especially appreciate the detailed information provided on behavior, venom and case histories, while casually interested readers will enjoy the sections on distinguishing characteristics and natural history. This book should be a part of every herp library! It is also pretty hard to find, so if you see it, grab it!