How Snakes Work

How Snakes Work: Structure, Function and Behavior of the World's Snakes
Harvey B. Lillywhite
1st edition
ISBN-13: 978-0195380378
ISBN-10: 0195380371

Anyone can look at a snake and see a creature unique unto itself, a reptile with a set of zoological and biological traits that are entirely its own. Just looking at this distinct animal raises many scientific questions. With regard to evolution, how did such an animal come to be? How does a snake move, and how do its sense organs differ from that of other reptiles? How does it eat, and how does it reproduce? Essentially, how does a snake "work"? In How Snakes Work: The Structure, Function and Behavior of the World's Snakes, leading zoologist Harvey B. Lillywhite has written the definitive scientific guide to the functional biology of snakes. Written for both herpetologists and a more general audience with an interest in the field, How Snakes Work features nearly two hundred color images of various species of snakes, used to provide visual examples of biological features explained in the text.

Chapter topics include the evolutionary history of the snake, feeding, locomotion, the structure and function of skin, circulation and respiration, sense organs, sound production, temperature and thermoregulation, and reproduction. Containing all the latest research and advances in our biological knowledge of the snake, How Snakes Work is an indispensable asset to professional zoologists and enthusiasts alike.



Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Evolutionary History and Classification of the World's Snakes
Chapter 2: Feeding, Digestion and Water Balance
Chapter 3: Locomotion: How Snakes Move
Chapter 4: Temperature and Ectothermy
Chapter 5: Structure and Function of Skin
Chapter 6: Internal Transport: Circulation and Respiration
Chapter 7: Perceiving the Snake's World: Structure and Function of Sense Organs
Chapter 8: Sound Production
Chapter 9: Courtship and Reproduction
Glossary of Terms