Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I think it's about time that I add a few new venomous books to my collection. Just curious to hear what peoples favorites/recommendations are. Two of my personal favs are Australian Animal Toxins by Sutherland/Tiballs and Handbook of Clinical Toxinology of Animal Venoms and Poisons by Meier/White. These are fantastic books for anyone interested in toxinology. They cover a wide range of toxic organisms with detailed sections on venomous snakes. Some decent sections on the biology of these organisms also.

The one that I find myself reading the most lately is Venomous reptiles of North America, by Carl H. Ernst, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992. It covers just about every N. American species, including Helodermatidae.
I just have a fascination with North american species, Agkistrodon in particular, but then what can you expect from someone whose first snake was a Sand Viper (vipera ammodytes), when I was 4. Something that is pretty usual and old news to you guys is like a candy store to me...
-----
Pozdrav,
Anton T.
--
Thank you Sir, may I have another?

If you like Agkistrodon you need to get Gloyd and Conant's "Snakes of the Agkistrodon Complex". It's a great resource and probably one of my favorite herp books.
Another good one is "Autoecology of the Copperhead" by Henry S. Fitch.

Anyone who is into gilas should have "Gila Monster and it's Allies" by Bogert and Campo.
Chris

I'll second the monograph by Gloyd & Conant. Another worthy book is "Poisonous Plants and Venomous Animals of Alabama and Adjoining States" by Whit Gibbons, Robert R. Haynes, and Joab L. Thomas. The true classic, though out of print, is "Snake Venom Poisoning" by Findlay E. Russell, M.D., Ph.D.

~~Greg~~
Florida's Venomous Snakes

Thanks everyone for making me feel my library is almost complete! I don't have the Alabama book though....
For a walk down memory lane I like to peruse Klauber's RATTLESNAKE 1 & 2. I also like the new book TRUE VIPERS By Mallow/Ludwig/Nilson.
Frank
-----
"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

I work in a local pet store(chain store), I'm not proud of it, but it's a living, and I like to think that I can make a difference in the lives of these animals, if not for a short period of time. Anyways, yesterday this guy came in, saying that he heard I was pretty knowledgeable about snakes, and if I could identify what his snake is. He said he got it from a friend, and some people told him it was a boa constrictor, but it didn't look like any that we had in the store.
I told him to go ahead and bring it in, and I'll see what I can do. He goes out to his car, and comes back a minute later with a small plastic container. I open it, and just start busting out laughing, much to his dismay.
It turns out his "boa constrictor" was actually a agkistrodon contortrix mokasen, one of my favorites.
So after a little convincing (I actually said "You know, I can take it off of your hands now, since it is venomous and all", I am now a proud new papa of my newest baby girl(probed her today), a. mokasen #6.
Funny how things seem to work out in my favor
-----
Pozdrav,
Anton T.
--
Thank you Sir, may I have another?

wow i bet that guy was scared after finding out his "boa" was a hot, i know i would..... i think..

ashley
@_@

>>I work in a local pet store(chain store), I'm not proud of it, but it's a living, and I like to think that I can make a difference in the lives of these animals, if not for a short period of time. Anyways, yesterday this guy came in, saying that he heard I was pretty knowledgeable about snakes, and if I could identify what his snake is. He said he got it from a friend, and some people told him it was a boa constrictor, but it didn't look like any that we had in the store.
>>I told him to go ahead and bring it in, and I'll see what I can do. He goes out to his car, and comes back a minute later with a small plastic container. I open it, and just start busting out laughing, much to his dismay.
>>It turns out his "boa constrictor" was actually a agkistrodon contortrix mokasen, one of my favorites.
>>So after a little convincing (I actually said "You know, I can take it off of your hands now, since it is venomous and all", I am now a proud new papa of my newest baby girl(probed her today), a. mokasen #6.
>>Funny how things seem to work out in my favor
>>-----
>>Pozdrav,
>>Anton T.
>>--
>>Thank you Sir, may I have another?
-----
Just A Thought
Ashley
;P

Excellent recommendations. I have been looking at all of those on Amazon. Does anyone own Biology of the Vipers and Biology of the Pit Vipers? These are two that I have been thinking about also. How do they rate?

I just received my brand new unused copy of Snake Venom Poisoning (Russell) today from Amazon. This book is amazing. Very detailed info and pictures that are not for the weak stomached. Also, a book that was not mentioned, that, in my opinion, is the absolute greatest venomous book ever written is Handbook of Clinical Toxicology of Animal Venoms and Poisons (Meier and White). This is the most complete and easiest read book on venoms and venomous animals in the world. It covers all venomous animals including marine animals, spiders, scorpions, sea snakes, snakes, heloderms, insects, mussels and shellfish. EVERYTHING! It tells all of the symptoms, treatment, death rates and even has a complete list of all commercially available antivenoms for all of the animals including the manufacturer's address and phone number. Sorry this was so long.

Mine are:-Handbook of "Clinical Toxinology of Animal Venoms and Poisons" by Meier/White,"Snake Venom Poisoning" by Findlay E. Russell, M.D., Ph.D,"Snakes of medical importance and snake bite treatment" by Indramani Jena & Akulananda Sarangi,"Venomous snakes Ecology,Evolution and snake bite" by RS Thorpe,W Wuster Anita Malhotra,"The subtle beast sankes from myth to medicine" by Andre Menez.This last book I came across by accident at my local zoo it explains how the toxins work and goes into simple terminology on 3 finger toxins plus more.
regards
John

My favories are 1)Snakes and Snakebite by Visser and Chapman; 2)a book entitled "Venoms" from papers presented at the first international conference on venoms at the annual meeting of the American Asosciation For the Advancement of Science and edited by Buckley and Porges. The book "Venoms" is certainly worth a look for anyone interested in toxins.