A Field Guide to Texas Snakes [Hardcover]

Alan Tennant (Author), John E. Werler (Author), Bill Marvel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1985

This second edition provides fascinating insights into the biology and behavior of Texas snakes, including the latest findings on abundance, reproductive habits, what snakes eat, and size. This guide is an invaluable tool for indentifying, understanding, and appreciating Texas' world-renowned snake population- the largest in the U.S.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Gulf Publishing Co. (January 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932012973
• ISBN-13: 978-0932012975
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,369,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought this book was excellent!, October 14, 1999

By 

John W. Gaylord - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to Texas Snakes (Field Guide Series) (Paperback)

I am not a "herpetologist" - - I don't like snakes, but I am trying to tolerate the beneficial types. It was about dusk a few weeks ago when I stepped inside my storage shed to close the door. My first reaction was, "I don't remember leaving a hose on the floor." I flipped on the light and about two feet from me was the meanest biggest snake I ever saw (actually, it was only about 42" long). Was it deadly? - - I guess so 'cause it nearly gave me a heart attack! After that experience, I knew I needed a fairly complete book on Texas' snakes in my library, so I purchased the above book. It has over sixty pages of full color pictures (that's over 120 snakes) with a commentary on each one as to its type, size, general location, habits, food preference, etc. I took a picture of the snake in my barn - - and when the book arrived, there it was in living color - - "Texas Rat Snake." Harmless....and beneficial. The key to a great book on snakes for the common layman, in my opinion, is clear, colorful pictures. I remember checking the public library for such a book as this 10-15 years ago, and couldn't find one. So, I reinterate, for everyday identification of Texas' snakes, you'd be hard pressed to beat this book!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too bad I can't give this one 6 stars., February 28, 2002

By 

M. J. Cintala "Craters" (Webster, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Field Guide to Texas Snakes (Texas Monthly Field Guide Series) (Paperback)

A great book. A fantastic book. It's slightly larger than what one might expect for a field guide, but the difference is put to good use. Not only are the excellent photographs printed at such high resolution that you expect to see these scaled beauties slithering off the pages, but the accompanying text is so easy to read that you might find it to be a page-turner that ranks with some pretty good novels. This book is crammed with really useful or, at the very least, interesting info -- like the relative potencies of venoms from different snakes. (You might be surprised...) A detailed discussion of the mechanisms associated with different snake venoms and what might be done to counter them is really fascinating. The text for each species is accompanied by a distribution map; that text includes information on whether the snake in question is venomous, its behavior, reproduction, abundance, size, etc. I can't say enough good stuff about this book. If you live in a state adjacent to Texas and Mr. Tennant hasn't written a book about your snake population, it would well be worth getting this one. He also wrote the "Field Guide to Snakes of Florida," so you guys in Florida are lucky, too! This book made me want to head out at night to the local megapuddles that form near my house south of Houston to see what might be after those little frogs that seem to appear out of nowhere in the spring. Now, that might seem to be a little strange, but if you've read this book, you probably know what I mean.
Come to think of it, I'd like to give this one 7 stars...

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent field guide great pictures & information!, November 14, 2003

By 

Brad Hutchinson (Katy, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Field Guide to Texas Snakes (Field Guide Series) (Paperback)

This field guide on snakes is excellent. The pictures of each snake are clear and you can identify them easily when you see them in the wild (or in you're house). The organization of this book splits up into two sections venomous and nonvenomous which allows a very quick way to tell if you should be anywhere near the snake. The infromation on each type is plentiful and everything you need to know is included. There are maps of where to find each type and whether they are endangered or protected in the state of Texas. A system is given in the beginning of the book for how to easily determine a snake and also what to do if you happen to be bit by a venomous type. The only thing I would like to see in the next revision is the striking distance of each snake which isn't given in this book.