Describes how snakes move, reproduce, and hunt for food.

From poop-eating pups to supersmooth spy snakes, get a glimpse of our pets’ amazing secret lives with this funny and fact-filled exposé! Butt-sniffing dogs. Terrified tarantulas. Canaries with invisible force fields? Yep—it turns out our pets experience the world in totally different ways than we do. Unlock some of your nonhuman family members’ wildest behaviors in this hilarious (and sometimes shiver-worthy) illustrated guide to their secret lives, complete with exciting interviews with the scientists who research them. From fierce hamster stink wars to the hidden wild side of Bubbles the goldfish, who knew there was so much more to understand about our furry and scaly friends? Back matter includes websites for do-it-yourself research, a bibliography of real studies and scientists, a glossary, and even some how-to-draws (how about tapeworms high-fiving on a poop rocket?). Bold, playful illustrations and witty text combine in this delightfully fun and gross page-flipper from the team behind Your Hidden Life: Unseen Jungle.

In 2019 the most comprehensive survey ever of adders was published. According to ‘Make the Adder Count’ the species will disappear from most of Britain in the next 15-20 years unless we take action now to save it. But despite being a priority conservation species under the Biodiversity Action Plan, not a single nature reserve in Britain has been specifically designated to protect it. Throughout our history we have systematically persecuted the adder over generations because it is Britain’s only venomous snake. Now the adder population is in dire straits, its rapidly declining numbers occurring on increasingly small, isolated and fragmented sites. According to Make the Adder Count 90% of the sites where it still occurs have 10 or less adult snakes and are now considered to be very vulnerable to local extinction. Despite the adder population being in dire straits, it is still not too late to save it if we act now. This book contains a 10 point adder action plan which if implemented could help to restore the adder to its former range across Britain. Using many unique photographs of the species published for the first time, it also contains a history of the adder and reveals its secret life which has made it the most successful snake in the world. With a foreword by Iolo Williams, the BBC Springwatch presenter, this book is a story of our times, one which typifies the age of extinction through which we are all living and are all responsible.

Snakes are creatures of mystery, arousing fear in many people but fascination in a few. Recent research has transformed our understanding of the behaviour and ecology of these animals, revealed their important roles in diverse ecosystems, and discovered new and effective ways to conserve their populations and to promote coexistence between snakes and people. One of the leading contributors to that scientific revolution has been Prof Rick Shine. Based in Australia, whose snake fauna is diverse and often dangerous, his experiences and anecdotes will inspire a new generation of serpent scientists. Spellbinding stories highlight the challenges, frustrations, and joys of discovery, and give the reader a greater appreciation of these often-slandered slithering reptiles. Key Features Documents the important role played by a preeminent herpetologist. Focuses on research conducted in Australia, especially on snakes. Summarizes highly influential conservation studies. Explores the ways in which research has deepened our understanding of snakes.

Winner, 2020 National Outdoor Book Award, Nature and the Environment Snakes inspire extreme reactions. Love or hate these limbless reptiles, almost everyone is fascinated by them. Although snakes are widespread and frequently encountered, they may be more misunderstood than any other group of animals. From giant rattlesnakes to mating dances, there are dozens of myths and misconceptions about snakes. In Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths, wildlife biologist David Steen tackles the most frequently asked questions and clears up prevailing myths. In a conversational style with a bit of humor, Steen presents the relevant biology and natural history of snakes, making the latest scientific research accessible to a general audience. When addressing myths about snakes, he explains how researchers use the scientific method to explain which parts of the myth are biologically plausible and which are not. Steen also takes a close look at conventional wisdom and common advice about snakes. For example, people are told they can distinguish coralsnakes from non-venomous mimics by remembering the rhyme, “red on black, friend of Jack, red on yellow, kill a fellow,” but this tip is only relevant to coralsnakes and two mimics living in the southeastern United States, and it does not always work with other species or in other countries. Enhanced by more than 100 stunning color photographs and three original drawings, Secrets of Snakes: The Science beyond the Myths encourages readers to learn about the snakes around them and introduces them to how scientists use the scientific method and critical thinking to learn about the natural world. Number Sixty-one: W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series

"The Secret Lives of Chickens" does not describe how to raise chickens but rather how chickens live their lives, what their own society is like, what they do in their day-to-day living, their generally contented and happy approach to life, their many wiles, and more. Chickens are much more than we generally assume them to be. They are clever and they outsmart us all the time. What they do, and the situations in which they find themselves, can be humorous, and warm, and friendly. "The Secret Lives of Chickens" is a pleasant, easy to read book. This second edition of the hardcover book has been re-formatted from 10x8 to 8x10, some of the many photos have been spruced up a bit, but otherwise the content is the same.

Note that there is a companion website for this book and it can be seen at: http://secretsofthesnakecharmer.blogspot.com/ Humans and snakes have an intimate and ancient relationship that often revolves around either love or hate. Snakes can be seen as gods, spiritual messengers, symbols of fertility, and guardians of resources in virtually all cultures. But to those that fear them, snakes are seen as venomous creatures that cannot be trusted. In Secrets of the Snake Charmer, John Murphy, a research associate of the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, provides an in-depth, twenty-first century look at snakes utilizing the published research of other herpetologists as well as his own personal experiences and speculations. Murphy covers a wide range of topics such as the adaptability of snakes, the ways in which evolution has tinkered with snakes during the last 160 million years, and the impact snakes have on the ecological communities they live in. While sharing ideas about the origin of snakes, rattlesnake rattles, and spitting in cobras, Murphy presents an innovative portrayal of snakes that proves they co-evolve with their prey, predators, and parasites in order to fulfill a significant and novel role in the web of life.