Science in the Snakepit
Author: Rick Shine
ISBN: 9781760796976
Publisher: New Holland Publishers
Year first published: 15 Oct 2025
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback / softback
People have always been fascinated by snakes, butonly during the last few decades have researchersbegun to reveal the secret lives of these mostmysterious of animals. Rick Shine is one of the mosteminent of those scientists, and his book describesthe adventures and misadventures of researcherswho have investigated the ecology and biology ofthese fantastic beasts – and sometimes, have paidwith their lives.This richly-illustrated title chronicles the revolution inour understanding of snakes, the new methods thathave arisen to enable those breakthroughs, and theserendipitous and often-chaotic processes by whichhuman beings accumulate insights into other forms oflife. Recent years have witnessed an incredibleflowering of snake-ecology research, with a rapidlyexpanding diversity not only of the snake speciesbeing studied and the places where this occurs, butalso of the kinds of people making those discoveries.Snakes are peculiar animals, and they attract peculiarpeople. This book captures the thrills and perils of aworldwide scientific leap forward, from fear andignorance of snakes towards respect andunderstanding. This professional biologist’s ramblethrough the history of people’s attempt to understandthe private lives of snakes – with lots of stories aboutthe eccentric pioneers – will appeal to anyone with aninterest in snakes and natural history.
ISBN: 9781760796976
Publisher: New Holland Publishers
Year first published: 15 Oct 2025
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback / softback
People have always been fascinated by snakes, butonly during the last few decades have researchersbegun to reveal the secret lives of these mostmysterious of animals. Rick Shine is one of the mosteminent of those scientists, and his book describesthe adventures and misadventures of researcherswho have investigated the ecology and biology ofthese fantastic beasts – and sometimes, have paidwith their lives.This richly-illustrated title chronicles the revolution inour understanding of snakes, the new methods thathave arisen to enable those breakthroughs, and theserendipitous and often-chaotic processes by whichhuman beings accumulate insights into other forms oflife. Recent years have witnessed an incredibleflowering of snake-ecology research, with a rapidlyexpanding diversity not only of the snake speciesbeing studied and the places where this occurs, butalso of the kinds of people making those discoveries.Snakes are peculiar animals, and they attract peculiarpeople. This book captures the thrills and perils of aworldwide scientific leap forward, from fear andignorance of snakes towards respect andunderstanding. This professional biologist’s ramblethrough the history of people’s attempt to understandthe private lives of snakes – with lots of stories aboutthe eccentric pioneers – will appeal to anyone with aninterest in snakes and natural history.
