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Full Description
Anyone interested in reptiles is interested in Australia. "Reptiles of Australia" is the most comprehensive and user-friendly guide available to every one of its crocodiles, turtles, monitor lizards, dragons, snakes, skinks, geckos, and other lizards. A vast expanse of land and coastline encompassing tropical, temperate, and arid environments, Australia is home to a rich and unique reptile fauna - nearly three times as many species as in North America. With the current count at 836 described species, and with many more unnamed, it is a fauna as diverse as any in the world. Compact and accessible, this guide features a full-color photograph of each species and authoritative text that describes key identification traits. Thumbnail outlines of each family group further enable easy identification. Australia is a mosaic of habitats, each element of which is the favored environment for a distinctive reptile species: warm, shallow, turbid seas fringed with mangroves, clear coral reefs, freshwater wetlands, tropical rainforests and savannahs, arid stony plains and ranges, sandridge deserts, alpine areas, and cool southern forests and heaths.A square mile of desert covered with spinifex grasses may support more reptile species than an area of comparable size anywhere in the world. Attractive, portable, and affordable, "Reptiles of Australia" is the ideal home or traveling companion for all reptile enthusiasts, whether pet owners, amateur herpetologists, or specialists of this spectacular aspect of natural history. A portable, accessible, user-friendly guide to all the reptiles of Australia 930 full color photos, at least one for each species. The text describes key identification traits. Thumbnail sketches of each family group enable easy identification. It includes distribution maps for each species.
Contents
Acknowledgements 4 How to Use this Book 5 Glossary and Illustrations 8 Introduction 14 Crocodiles 20 Hard-shelled Sea Turtles 22 Leathery Sea Turtle 28 Side-necked Freshwater Turtles 30 Pig-nosed Turtle 46 Geckos 48 Flap-footed Lizards 102 Skinks 124 Dragons 298 Monitors and Goannas 336 Blind Snakes 350 Pythons 368 File Snakes 380 Colubrid Snakes 382 Venomous Land Snakes 392 Sea Snakes 448 Sea kraits 466 Appendix 468 Selected Reading 470 Index 472
