Customer Reviews

Snakes Of The Southeast (Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book)

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I received this book two days ago and have finished reading it the first day. The book is extremely well organized with facts and features that you won't, but always want to, find in other books such as:

general identifying characterists set out in a box for each species for easy location
identification of the young
what will be the effect of the bite each species of venomous snake
very good glossory and index (which includes both common and scientific names)

I have needed a book like this for a long time for a quick reference with MANY photos to easily identify the specie in questions. If you live in the southeast and want to know more about local snakes or just need a VERY good reference book for quick use, this is a must have.

This book has everything a child and/or adult needs to know about the snakes that can be found in any given area of the Southeast. Even down to the parish/county you may live in. It gives you hints that let you know which snake is which (enormously helpful for venomous ones). It also shows a way, with only 1 exception (the coral snake), to determine if a snake is venomous by looking at it's shed skin. Now how many times have you or your child come across a snake skin and wondered if it could have been a harmful snake? I bought this book for my 6 year old son who, like his mother, has an interest in snakes and curiosity. I recently noticed my hubby perusing through it & he despises them. Matter of fact, my neighbor has already borrowed it for identification. He then decided to read through it the rest of the way...it's just that insightful!

As many Herp books as I have read through, this book covers all the information provided by most other field guides on snakes in this region, and then some! It has great photos of all the snakes throughout this region and the info on each species is organized in a descriptive, yet reader-friendly fashion. The other contents in this book are very informative and covers everything from the biology of snakes to their predators and defenses, and everything in-between. The final section on "People and Snakes" is AWESOME!! It is important that people will be better informed about snakes and see that they do not live up to their unwarrented reputation. This section of the book does a great job in communicating this message to the reader and also how benificial snakes are to our ecosystems. At the least, this book is a fascinating read and should be accessible to anyone living in this region. The Southeast region is one of the best places, in my opinion, for finding some of the most unique and beautiful snakes in the country. If anything, there is much more to learn from this book than there is from "People" magazine by a long shot!

You might want two copies of this wonderfully practical guide - one for the field and one for the coffee table.

The wealth of practical information, photos and identifying characteristics make this the perfect field guide. It also is an extremely effective tool for preservation at a time when the first instinct for too many people is to immediately destroy a snake that ventures into their yard, even if it presents no harm. With snakes of the Southeast, a quick check will provide the answer.

The book's smart design, photography and production also will make it at home with the showpiece volumes on your coffee table - at a fraction of the price.

Great stuff!

A worthy successor to Snakes of Georgia & South Carolina, also co-authored by Whit Gibbons. This earlier volume, now out of print, was superb as well...though brief and exorbitantly priced.

The current work is logically organized, user-friendly yet comprehensive. The color photos are tack-sharp. For the amateur naturalist, teacher or student alike, or for the common sojourner this is the perfect reference--liberally illustrated but detailed as well. Plus--the price is right.

Great book for those doing a lot of hiking or walking. Easy to identify pictures allow close comparison. I commonly run into snakes during rugged terrain hikes and am familiar with most but this book helped me with those where I was unsure-non poisonous.

Every household should have a copy.

- Well organized
- Great color photos
- Makes identifying snakes in the Southeast easy, even sub-species an juveniles.
- Covers all the vital information for every snake.

If you're interested in snakes, this is the best reference book I've found. I live on a large wooded lot with lots of snakes. This book has allowed me to identify them all -- from babies to adults. It's an interesting read. Not too technical. I highly recommend it.

I was so happy to come across this book. I first found it at the library. It's everything I could ever want in a snake book and more. Fantastic picture quality and detail!! Great illustration and resource guide.

My son is interested in snakes right now, so he requested this book for his ninth birthday. I thought it might be a dull, overly scientific study of snakes, but it's actually wonderful both for kids and adults. There are tons of great, up-close color photos. Identification guides give detailed explanations of key identifiers for different species. There are sidebars with interesting "Did You Know?" tidbits. (Here's an example I picked at random: "Watersnakes that feed on catfish are frequently found with fish's spines sticking out through their body walls. The snakes generally recover without complications." Now that's something you don't find in any old snake book!)
My boy likes to tell me little snake-related facts he's learned while reading, and anything that gets a child excited about reading and nature is great in my opinion.