Description:
From the rare and docile massasauga, which relies on camouflage to remain unnoticed, to the more familiar bullsnake, which defends itself by hissing loudly and vibrating its tail from an S-shaped striking position, to the eastern racer, often seen crawling at more than three miles an hour during daytime, snakes are beautiful animals with habits both fascinating and beneficial to humans. Their relatives the lizards, most of which are more easily seen and identified, exhibit similarly fascinating behavior. This colorful addition to our series of laminated guides informs both amateur and professional herpetologists about twenty-seven species of snakes and six species of lizards in the Upper Midwest states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri.
Review Quotes:
"This is a thorough, accurate guide to the snakes and lizards of the northern Midwest. The color photographs are excellent, even to showing the red mite infestation on the six-lined racerunner. The section on similar species eliminates confusion when trying to distinguish adults from any part of the range. This guide belongs in every college and high school biology classroom and will appeal to anyone with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. My compliments to Terry VanDeWalle for producing an excellent, compact, visual guide to the midwestern terrestrial reptiles."--James L. Christiansen