Product Description
Why are some frogs able to freeze solid and still survive? How can secretions from amphibians offer scientists clues for treating human ailments? What allows reptiles and amphibians to regenerate their limbs? Reptiles & Amphibians, an exciting new Explore Your World™ handbook, incorporates the Discovery Channel's unique authoritative approach and acclaimed visuals to answer these and other questions in a captivating blend of information and entertainment.

Reptiles & Amphibians features:
 ¸  Background information on evolution, anatomy, physiology, habitats, and life cycles of a range of reptile and amphibian families.
 ¸  A detailed look at how reptiles and amphibians survive-how they eat, move around, defend themselves, and combat temperature extremes.
 ¸  Examinations of metamorphosis, growth and longevity, and vocalization techniques.
 ¸  Practical advice on how to responsibly study reptiles and amphibians in the wild or care for them as pets.
 ¸  An identification guide to more than 160 of the most fascinating herpetological species from around the world, organized by environment.
 ¸  More than 300 full-color photos and illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Classroom Use
I bought this book to use in my classroom as research material.It provides an excellent overview for student use in the upper level elementary school and middle school.Information covers a broad spectrum of topics, is very well organized and written at a level for the lay reader.The photographs, diagrams, and drawings are of excellent quality and provide a range of subject matter that will keep young people turning the pages.The book is printed on excellent stock, and appears to be able to withstand handling.I would highly recommend this book to other educators who want a reasonably priced refence book for the classroom. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive overview of the animals of the world features hundreds of photographs, paintings, diagrams, and maps, along with authoritative information on the behavior, life cycle, and habitats of a wide range of mammals, reptiles, birds, and amphibians. 15,000 first printing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Christmas Gift for my 11 year old son
I was thrilled to find this book. My son loves animals. When he got one of those animal card subscriptions where you get to keep paying every month forever I thought a nice animal book would be better. I had no idea how hard it would be to find something age appropriate. Most of the books are too simple as in "My first ..." or someone's thesis on something. This book was great. Tons of photos and pictures and enough information to keep him busy for a very long time.

Great for curious minds
I purchased this book for my two daughters, 4 and 5 1/2, they were asking alot of questions about animals, which I would answer as best as I could. This book has filled in the blanks for us, and has beatiful photographs. it shows the preastoric ancestors as well. It is laid out very well, so the girls can ask their questions and recieve answers very fast. I know this book will be used over and over again as they grow older, recomended for all curious minds, young and old.

A Decent Encyclopedia
I picked this up at a local Borders on sale for $10. Being an animal lover and enthusiast, I figured what the hay. After looking it over, I realized the fish family isn't covered in the book. Which is kind of a downer but not a major gripe.
The book is pretty good and covers a lot of species of animals. Problem is, the descriptions of most, if not all, of the animals is around 2-3 small paragraphs at most. It's not an extensive encyclopedia or a book that goes into great detail; just enough to cover the usuals of each animal.
All in all, not a bad book but if you're looking for an in-depth book, this isn't going to be what you're looking for.

Very concise and comprehensive description of land animals
The Encyclopaedia of Animals: Mammals, Birds, Reptile, and Amphibians is a milestone in concise scientific, and current description of animal species.Any amature(or professional), could only benefit by having this book in there collection. It is a shame it is no longer in print after only been in circulation for only three years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

what a great book
I've read this book a dozen times and I laugh out loud - even knowing what's coming - every time.Warm, clever, informed and hilarious.Whit Gibbons is a treasure to field biologists and normal people alike.

You have no idea....
Just read the book and you will cry you laugh so hard.Just imagine being a student in his class like I am.It is the best class I have ever taken hands down.Whit is remarkably intellegent in all areas of herps and this book is a wonderful example of how dedicated he is to this passion.

I could envision myself in each scenario!
Whit has portrayed his adventures with herps with amazing wit. Each chapter begins with a narrative about an episode that his zest for "research" placed him in. I read a couple of different chaptersto a friend over the phone (imagine an alligator in the cab of your truck!)and we both laughed so hard we were in tears.At the end of each tale is alesson in sound zoology.Most field biologists will recognize themselvesin this book.

Great book.Who'd think an herpatologist could be so funny?
Whit Gibbons gives a truly funny account of his time as a graduate student and professor, chasing reptiles through the southern US and abroad.It's funny, it's informative.This is no textbook, but rather tales of life and animal research. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes 212 species of turtles, snakes, frogs, salamanders and their relatives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

It is really great!
I got this book months ago, and have read the whole thing about two or three times!I absoloutly love it!It has helped me find out what reptiles I have caught.I definatly reccomend it to anyone who wants to know about reptiles.

One of my all time favorite books!!!
The Golden Book on Reptiles and Amphibians is very well written, well illustrated, and is just one marvelous little book.
When I was a young boy, around First Grade, my mom (who was a librarian at the time) got me all of the different Golden Guides on nature, including the one on reptiles. I used to read this snake, frog, lizard book over and over again, and along with the other Golden Guides, it helped shape my life and my lifetime love of nature...especially for snakes...and lizards.
Today as an adult, I still go out to find and see snakes, lizards, frogs, turtles, salamanders, skinks....this little book was the impetus for a lifelong love of reptiles and amphibians.


I am also a writer (Allergy-Free Gardening, Birthday Boy, Safe Sex in the Garden, The Highway Naturalist, etc..), and a former science teacher, and I recommend buying and giving these books as presents to all children.
You might well strike a spark that will trigger a life long appreciation and fascination with nature.
This book might well also be interesting and useful as a first book on snakes for anyone with a budding interest in wildlife, lizards, fishing, nature. But as with all the Golden Guides....these books are wonderful tools to create interest in young kids.

For adults or teenagers I would recommend a reptile/amphibian book such as one of theGuides from Robert Stebbins, but for kids...the Golden Book is a darn good one to start with. Get each youngster his or her own book, and encourage them to write in the book, to make notes, to jot down dates as to when they first saw each species. This is a very fun, fine book!

Guide book
Same book I had as a kid 50 years ago. It was one of my favorites. Now my grandson has a copy.

Another Great Golden Guide for Younger Naturalists
The "Golden Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians" was another of the books in the Golden Guide series, edited by Herbert S. Zim, that influenced my early interest in natural history.The high quality color pictures, cheap price and handy size made this a natural for any youngster interested inthe natural world.Certainly reptiles and amphibians are fascinating to many (if not all) kids of any age.The illustrations are, like many of those from the series, pretty well burned into my brain because I would sit for an hour just perusing the book, while reading about such exotic creatures as hook-nosed snakes, snapping turtles, collared lizards or spade-footed toads.This book expanded my interest in reptiles, which had been initiated by the Ditmar books ("Reptiles of the World" and "Snakes of the World" - both now outdated, but to my young eyes just wonderful books).I was , however, actually more influenced in my choice of a profession by books on insects and spiders and went on to become an invertebrate zoologist.Even so, I will still always fondly remember this neat little book and the fascinating information on cold-blooded land vertebrates that I acquired through its use.

A great starter book for kids interested in herpetology.

Good Reptile Book
This compact book is nicely done and the pictures and commentary an easy reference. ... Read more

Product Description
An Instant Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians is an ideal compact identification guide to the most familiar reptiles and amphibians of North America.Most amphibians can be found in or near water while lizards and snakes seek drier environments.This book helps you to recognize the most common species of both that you are likely to encounter.
This user-friendly guide assumes no previous knowledge:an easy-to-follow system of color-coded bands (denoting type of animal) and habitat symbols leads quickly to the correct section of the book.Detailed full-color illustrations, concise informative text, and a distribution map allow you to make a positive identification. Symbols also warn you of aggressive, toxic or dangerous animals. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the characteristics of various reptiles and amphibians such as the boa constrictor, monitor lizard, Gila monster, and the tuatara. ... Read more

Product Description
Rattlers & Snappers is a must-have book for anyone interested in reptiles and amphibians, but it's more than that. No other book contains such an eclectic mix of natural history, husbandry, harvest, taxidermy, and tales. This book discusses the life history of fascinating animals such as rattlesnakes, snapping turtles, and hellbenders. It teaches you how to handle and keep snakes and how to raise rats, mice, and bugs. It presents the firsthand accounts of noted naturalists and legendary wardens along with tales of outlaws and reptile poachers. It also offers techniques on catching and cooking turtles and on preserving the dead. This book was written for the Conservation Officers of Pennsylvania Association (COPA). All royalties from the sale of this book are used to support youth environmental education programs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Book!!!
The book is well researched, informative and well written.Definitely a most have in your turtle and reptile collection.

Outstanding
Rattlers & Snappers was an excellent read.I loved the stories and the practical info.It was like Foxfire meets Grizzly Adams! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Great coverage for this group of herps
Just finished this book and enjoyed every page. The author is not only a good scientist, but a good writer as well. That keeps the book interesting and easy to read. Lots of great information compiled from multiple sources, along with a detailed reference section. The book really does a great job of illustrating how dire the situation is for pine woods reptiles and amphibians.

My only real con would be the images, which are all pretty dark. But they do the job, for what it's worth.

If you have an interest in pine woods herps, herps from the Southeast, reptile conservation, or even herps in general, you'll find this book very interesting.

A Very Informative Book -- Five Stars for Sure
This is an excellent book on the amphibians, reptiles, and turtles of the southern Piney Woods. It is right up-to-date in adopting the CNAH standard common names as proposed by Collins & Taggart (2002, 2009). This makes it easy to use and compare with the Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, which used those same names. I consulted with and advised Steve Reichling on the use of standard common names for this book. This is a fine tome that everyone should have on their bookshelf, because it is a well-researched reference to the biology of these creatures in the Pine Woods of the southeastern United States.

Lots of interesting information.
Pretty good book.I haven't read it all yet, just certain sections.Nothing earthshattering, but it does have some interesting tidbits about the species.I would have liked the book better if the pictures had been throughout the book rather than in plates stuck in the middle.This is a good reference book, but would not be good to use as a field guide. ... Read more

Product Description
Contains 2500 entries in an A-Z, dictionary-type reference covering all terms, abbreviations and nomenclature for keeping, breeding and studying reptiles. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides step-by-step instructions, and tips on color, for drawing such creatures as iguanas, lizards, toads, and frogs. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
From newts to toads to lizards to snakes, this book covers the gamut of these often little-known species. ... Read more

Product Description
A guide to exotic and more familiar reptiles, this book shows amazing Komodo Dragons, poison-arrow frogs, glass snakes and flying frogs. In an entertaining but factual style, it describes the gecko, with its transparent skin, tortoises that walk as fast as a human, and snakes that can spit poison. ... Read more

Product Description
Including over 500 photographs of animals in their natural habitats, this book combines information on mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The text not only allows the reader to locate and identify species in the wild, but offers a fascinating insight into the "private lives" of animals which are typically secretive, and often noctumal. ... Read more

Product Description
The tropical rainforests of the world are home to some of the world's most interesting and unusual reptiles and amphibians - from the colourful poison-arrow frog to the anaconda, the world's largest snake, to the marine turtle and the chameleon. It is believed that the rainforests contain around two-thirds of all species of reptiles and amphibians that live on the earth. This book looks at some of these amazing reptiles and amphibians that live in the rainforest, and at their homes, food and threats. Beautifully designed, and illustrated with stunning new photographs, this book's features include special 'links' boxes highlighting the relationships of rainforest reptiles and amphibians to those living in other habitats around the world; and 'Rainforest secrets' revealing amazing facts and stories about some extraordinary reptiles and amphibians. ... Read more

Product Description
This guide will be welcomed by those interested in the fascinating array of reptiles and amphibians found in the west. There is a key for identification and quite thorough descriptions. All species are covered except the most rare which are listed. ... Read more