Lavishly illustrated throughout with photographs, 'Boas and Pythons of the World' provides comprehensive and authoritative information in a lively and accessible format - a fitting celebration of one of the most fascinating yet little-known groups in the reptile world.

Describes the habitats and behaviors of boa constrictors and pythons.

Introduces boa constrictors, describing their physical features, habitat, life cycle, and predatory behavior.

Boa constrictors and grizzly bears are top predators in their native habitats. Imagine these two ferocious wild animals from different parts of the world battling each other! That's just what readers are invited to do in this high-interest volume, which highlights many important elementary science concepts. They'll find out the adaptations of each beast that keep them at the top of their food chain. After weighing the evidence, some of it quite surprising, the reader becomes the judge in this epic battle.

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.

"Dorcas and Willson provide a much needed examination of the growing impact of Burmese pythons as an invasiue spcies in the United States By highlighting The many dangers and detrimental effects the introduction of nonnative pythons has caused in the Everglades this book documents the mounting threat that invasives pose to ecosystems everywhere. The first book to focus solely on this issue, Invasive Pythons in the United States is well researched, well illustrated, and well timed" --Book Jacket.