Description
Book SynopsisThe firstand onlyauthoritative guide to the snakes of Central and Western Africa. Nobody knows exactly how many snake species live in the biodiversity hotspots of Western and Central Africa. While field guides abound that make mammals, birds, and even insects identifiable for residents, travelers, and scientists, half a continent's herpetological richness has remained shrouded in mystery. In a region where nearly 30,000 people die from snake bites every year, even dire medical necessity has been an insufficient inducement for researchers to take on the daunting task of assembling an authoritative list of extant species, let alone a full descriptive record to aid in identification, the essential first step to administering an effective antivenin. The reptiles of Central Africa, particularly, are the most poorly studied in the world, despite their crucial role in the survival of threatened ecosystems. With Snakes of Central and Western Africa, Jean-Philippe Chippaux and Kate Jackson
Trade Review[Chippaux and Jackson] combine their capabilities to produce a comprehensive volume with accounts for nearly 300 species of snakes from the west and central African region. The book is intended as an identification guide for both the seasoned herpetologist as well as the beginner . . . For those working in the region and needing to identify specimens, the book would surely be a valuable addition to one's reference library.
—Krystal A. Tolley,
CopeiaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Chapter 1. Identification of African Snakes
Chapter 2. Evolution of African Snakes
Chapter 3. Biogeography of African Snakes
Chapter 4. Snakebite in Sub-Saharan Africa
Chapter 5. Families Typhlopidae and Leptotyphlopidae
Chapter 6. Families Boidae and Pythonidae
Chapter 7. Family Viperidae
Chapter 8. Family Elapidae
Chapter 9. Family Lamprophiidae: Subfamilies Atractaspidinae and Aparallactinae
Chapter 10. Family Lamprophiidae: Subfamilies Lamprophiinae, Pseudoxyrhophiinae, and Pseudaspidinae
Chapter 11. Family Lamprophiidae: Subfamilies Psammophiinae and Prosymninae
Chapter 12. Family Colubridae: Subfamily Natricinae
Chapter 13. Family Colubridae: Subfamilies Colubrinae and Grayiinae
Bibliography
Index
