Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons

by John C. Murphy and Robert W. Henderson

Book Overview

This volume examines the natural history of four species of snakes known to exceed 20 feet in length. Based on the writings of explorers, missionaries, scientists and adventurers over the past 200... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0894649957
• ISBN13: 9780894649950
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Krieger Publishing Company
• Length: 234 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.3" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

Great Tales!

I purchased this book for my son and he has enjoyed it just as much as he thought he would.

Truth about Size of Giant Snakes

The truth about the size of Giant Snakes, you will discover that their size is very far from the giant sizes you normally see in books and in internet all over the world. I was looking for more pictures of big snakes in this book.

This book is cool.

this book is cool, i also know the guy, he works at the high schoo

A delightful debunking of the myths about the biggest snakes

Hollywood has not been kind to the long constrictor. In its view, they drop out of trees or rise up out of rivers, big as buses and determined to squeeze the guts out of that hapless human being who has wandered within reach of their treacherous or lecherous (depending upon the sex of the victim) coils. Though big snakes have, in fact, never been much interested in people, people have always been fascinated by them. Sensational stories of villagers squashed and gobbled up by monstrous serpents fill the accounts of explorers and early "naturalists." For all the satisfying fear they engender in far removed readers, such stories do the snakes injustice and divert attention from their remarkable morphology and living habits. These authors are scientists, but they are also literate and obviously snake enthusiasts. So while they stick to the facts, they write clearly and engagingly in defense of remarkable animals who, when it comes to encounters with humans, are much more sinned against than sinning. There are chapters about feeding and breeding of course. But there is also a serious review of the extraordinary stories that impute lengths of sixty or more feet to anacondas and pythons. By the time the myths have been detonated, the terrified lay reader is ready for an honest answer to the question, "How long can a snake grow?" Read the book to find out. But I will say it is longer than some buses.

The Facts and Nothing But the Facts

I purchased this book on a whim, knowing of the authors' credibility. When I got in to it, I realized it was going to be more than I expected. This work discredits one by one all the ridiculous length claims on snakes from around the world. Instead of these (sometimes outrageous) claims, the authors provide you with THE FACTS AND NOTHING BUT THE FACTS! It is about time herpers spread the honest truth about these species to the general public, rather than the typical "My python should hit thirty-five feet because that's the maximum size!". This book is an educational experience for ANYONE with an interest in these species or herps in general. I wholeheartedly recommend it! The human attack accounts are pretty eye-opening, too!