The Book of Monitor Lizards (Chimaira)

Serpents have played an important role in the mythology, religion and daily life of the people of ancient Mexico, which is testified żeby the fact that images of these creatures can be found in virtually all types of archeological remains, especially in those of Aztec and Mayan origin. Today, the amazingly rich and diverse snake fauna of this country, including rattlesnakes and coralsnakes and their mimics, continues to fascinate the people, and various aspects of its biology are of scientific interest. Snakes of Mexico describes all 390 species known from the country. With distribution maps to all species and more than 600 color photographs, this book is designed for use aby researchers and conservationists as well as żeby ecotourists and the general public. Peter Heimes received his PhD from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universit?t Bonn (Germany) in 1994. He has been studying the herpetofauna of Mexico for more than 20 years. The amount of information the author has packed in each of these accounts constitutes a stunning achievement that would seriously tax the energies of a team of researchers, let alone a single individual. This attention to detail is what will give this work value long into the present century for both snake aficionados and professional herpetologists alike. (Larry David Wilson).