Common Indian Snakes - A Field Guide 2nd Edition  (English, Paperback, Romulus Whitaker)

This book is a concise introduction to the fascinating world of snakes in India. It provides basic facts about snakes in general, their natural history, senses, feeding habits, reproduction patterns and locomotion. There are also sections on snake- catchers, conservation, laws protecting snakes, snakebite, and myths and beliefs. Thirty species of snakes, the ones most likely to be seen in the Indian countryside, are described in detail with a black and white photograph of each to aid in identification. The book makes a strong case for the need to differentiate the few venomous species from the abundant non-venomous species and highlights their value as rodent controllers. The Big Four medically important snakes of India: cobra, krait, Russell's viper and saw-scaled viper are the ones responsible for most serious snakebites, and this book makes their identification easily possible. Common Indian Snakes is an ideal text for biology students and the perfect book to kindle interest in these mysterious and wonderful reptiles.

Salient Features

• A concise and simple introduction to Indian snakes, their habits and natural history
• Updated checklist to the 275 species of Indian snakes
• Detailed descriptions and new pictures of 30 of the most common Indian snakes
• Sections on snakebite, general snake facts, myths and conservation
• The perfect first book on Indian snakes for both amateur and professional naturalists

About the Author
Romulus Whitaker was born in New York, USA in 1943 and was brought to India by his American mother and Indian stepfather in 195 I. After finishing high school in South India, he went to college at the University of Wyoming and spent several years working as a merchant seaman, salesman and a stint in the US Army. Rom started the Madras Snake Park in 1970, Madras Crocodile Bank in 1976, the Irula Snake-catchers Cooperative in 1978, a research base in the Andaman island in 1990 and another in Agumbe, Karnataka in 2005. He has published several hundred scientific and popular articles, made 20 documentaries and one children's feature film and written several books.

Table of Contents

• The Nonvenomous Snakes
• The Venomous Snakes
• General Facts about Snakes
• Snakebite
• Checklist of the Snakes of India
• Vernacular Snake Names
• Rainfall Chart
• Identification of Snakes
• Bibliography
• Index