| Isbell, L. A. 2009. The Fruit, The Tree, and The Serpent. Why we see so well. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 207 pages. |
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I have long suffered from a case of snake fascination while others suffer from an excessive fear of snakes. Why this should be has been a puzzle. After reading Lynne Isbell's The Fruit, The Tree, and The Serpent, my suspicion is that these two extremes are opposite sides of the same coin. Obsession
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I have long suffered from a case of snake fascination while others suffer from an excessive fear of snakes. Why this should be has been a puzzle. After reading Lynne Isbell's The Fruit, The Tree, and The Serpent, my suspicion is that these two extremes are opposite sides of the same coin. Obsession and fear of snakes is rooted in biology rather than learned responses. Isbell draws on evidence from neurobiology, paleontology, animal behavior, primatology, herpetology, and anthropology to weave a story that explains why human and primate vision is so much better than that found in other mammals, and why humans use declarative pointing. Her conclusion - primates have evolved exceptional color vision and near vision so they can avoid snakes and humans use declarative pointing to draw attention to snakes. Declarative pointing is most likely a behavior that was germinal to the formation of language. The book is a page turner, but probably not for the general reader. Some of the text is quite dense and difficult to follow. But, this book is full of unique ideas that will generate future research projects by the dozen. |
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| Fortey, R. 2008. Dry Storeroom No. 1. The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 335 pages. |
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| Richard Fortey has written an entertaining and memorable book on the goings on at British Museum of Natural History. The characters are unforgettable, the BMNH collection is amazing, and the building spectacular. My visit to the BMNH's Darwin Center in 2003 was my only visit, but it raised my awareness of the vast collection and superb exhibits that inhabit the place. The huge hallway lined with marine reptile fossils left the greatest impression. For the reader interested in nature but unfamiliar with natural history museums this book will be an eye-opener. Fortey, a senior paleontologist at the BMNH, has produced a book that will remind everyone of the cultural and scientific importance of natural history museums. This comes at a time when museums the world over are financially stressed and cutting staff, programs, and exhibits to balance their budgets. |
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| James, J. 2008. The Snake Charmer, A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge New York: Hyperion. 260 pages. |
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| An intense early interest that can easily become an obsession is common in many naturalists. Edward Wilson's book the Naturalist certainly suggests that was his path in life, and any biography of Charles Darwin reports an early interest in collecting objects from nature. Jamie James has written a biography of Joe Slowinski, herpetology curator at the California Academy of Sciences. Slowinski was well known in herpetological circles for his research into snakes, particularly elapid snakes, but his risk taking was lesser known. James' book portrays a man obsessed with snakes, but also a man who is both reckless and ruthless, and as such destined to end his life early. Handling venomous snakes while intoxicated, stealing specimens from other scientists, smuggling specimens, and bribing government officials are not the way one builds a reputable career in science. In a remote camp in Myanmar the reckless act of reaching into a bag to remove a snake without being sure what species that snake is was Joe Slowinski's end. James has painted Slowinski as a charming trickster who gets the data at any cost. In fact, Slowinski comes across as short on ethical behavior and a person who had difficulty with inter-personal relationships. The book is well written and will hold the reader's attention to the end. |
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| Means, D. B. 2008. Stalking the Plumed Serpent and Other Adventures in Herpetology. Sarasota: Pineapple Press. 238 pages |
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| The search for knowledge is always at the heart of a good story, a mystery, a treasure hunt, or an attempt to understand the human condition. Stalking the Plumed Serpent is a collection 22 great stories, stories in search of knowledge of amphibians and reptiles. Bruce Means transports the reader from the swamps of the southeastern USA through the Central American highlands to Australia's outback and to remote islands off the coast of Madagascar. These stories have a familiar tone, familiar animals, and familiar people to me. But the person unfamiliar with herpetology will also find them fascinating. Rattlesnakes, kingsnakes, Indigo snakes, the Red Hills salamander, the cottonmouth, bushmaster, and taipans all make for excellent reading. Means has also included essays on cotton rats and earthworms that you will not want to miss. |
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| Jackson, K. 2008. Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 328 pp. |
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| I have never been to Africa, although its is on my places to go list. By all accounts it is a difficult place to collect animals or do research. Kate Jackson narrates her travels in the Republic of the Congo in an effort to sample the herpetofauna. Her dealings with "scary government officials" and a distinctly different culture are worth reading, but I found them all too familiar - the Third World is often the same, expect the unexpected. Most memorable is the account of the author removing a large water cobra from a gill net, followed immediately by an encounter with a large forest cobra. Gill nets are unpleasant. They tangle easily and cut your fingers when trying to remove a trapped animal. Professor Jackson book is right there with stories from Beebe, Ditmars, Loveridge, and Kaufield. If you are interested in herpetological field work this book will increase those desires to head to the field as soon as possible. |
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