Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians : Eastern and Central North America

by Conant, Roger

• ISBN13: 9780395904527
• ISBN10: 0395904528
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-05-15
• Publisher: Houghton Miff

Summary

This newly designed field guides features detailed descriptions of 595 species and subspecies. The 656 full-color illustrations and 384 drawings show key details for accurate identification. More than 100 color photographs and 333 color photographs and 333 color distribution maps accompany the species descriptions.

Table of Contents

Editor's Note	vii	(2)
Acknowledgments	ix
1. Introduction	1	(15)
2. Making and Transporting the Catch	16	(9)
3. Care in Captivity	25	(8)
4. In Case of Snakebite	33	(4)
PLATES	37	(98)
SPECIES ACCOUNTS	135	(446)
5. Crocodilians	142	(4)
6. Turtles	146	(54)
7. Lizards	200	(80)
8. Amphisbaenians	280	(2)
9. Snakes	282	(134)
Harmless Snakes	283	(112)
Venomous Snakes	395	(21)
10. Salamanders	416	(84)
11. Toads and Frogs	500	(81)
Glossary	581	(4)
References	585	(10)
Photo Credits	595	(2)
Index	597

Excerpts

ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLE Pls. 3, 9 Macroclemys temminckii IDENTIFICATION: 1526 in. (3866 cm); record 311?2 in. (80 cm). Weight 35150 lbs. (1668 kg); record 251 lbs. (113.9 kg) for a specimen maintained in captivity for nearly 50 years; 316 lbs. (143.3 kg) for a wild-caught example. Look for the huge head with its strongly hooked beaks, the prominent dorsal keels, and the extra row of scutes on each side of the carapace. Likely to be confused only with Snapping Turtles. Young (Pl. 3): Brown, shell exceedingly rough; tail very long. About 11?413?4 in. (34.4 cm) at hatching. This gigantic freshwater turtle, our largest and one of the largest in the world, often lies at bottom of lake or river with mouth held open. A curious pink process on floor of mouth resembles a worm, wriggles like one, and serves as a lure for fish. similar species: Snapping Turtle has a saw-toothed tail and a smaller head, and also lacks the extra row of scutes be-tween costals and marginals. range: Sw. Ga. and n. Fla. to e. Texas; north in Mississippi Valley to Kans., Iowa, and sw. Ky.; an isolated record in cen. Tenn.

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Excerpted from A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America by Roger Conant, Joseph T. Collins
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.