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Snake Day

A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Serpentine Lives

Illustrated by Stuart Patience
An hourly guide that follows twenty-four snakes as they find mates, hunt, and survive a changing world.

Does a snake crossing your path trigger delight or dread? The answer is clear for celebrated biologist Marty Crump, who shows us that snakes deserve our respect, admiration, and protection. In her short book Snake Day, each chapter introduces a single snake during a single hour, highlighting twenty-four different species from around the globe. 

In the dark morning of a Brazilian forest, we avoid stepping on a jararaca, a nocturnal viper. If she bites, her venom will make our blood pressure—and us—drop. A synthetic version of this venom is now a lifesaving drug, used to treat hypertension and heart failure. Later in the morning, in the Zagros Mountains that trace Iran’s northwest border, what appears to be a tiny arachnid wiggles on the ground. When a hungry warbler approaches for a meal, realizes too late that the spider is actually a snake’s tail, and an Iranian spider-tailed viper makes a meal of the bird. In the early afternoon, in a pine forest outside Atlanta, Georgia, an eastern hognose snake strikes at us—a bluff—and then rolls over and plays dead. By the end of our snake day, we’ll have glimpsed the diversity of this unique group of reptiles, met serpentine friends who frighten and fascinate, and learned how humans can protect these amazing species.

For each hour, celebrated artist Stuart Patience has depicted serpentine scenes in stunning pen-and-ink drawings. Working together to narrate and illustrate these unique moments in time, Crump and Patience have created an engaging read that is a perfect way to spend an hour or two—and a true gift for amateur scientists or anyone who recoils at or relishes the sight of a snake.

184 pages | 24 halftones | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2

Earth Day

Biological Sciences: Behavioral Biology, Natural History

Reviews

Snake Day is a veritable twenty-four-hour feast of field herping. At every hour of the day, snakes are active, and Crump’s Snake Day opens windows into their secret lives: how and what they hunt, how they court and reproduce, how they hide from both casual observers and predators, and how they defend themselves if discovered. With a remarkably simple but very effective approach, Crump expertly leads us into the field to introduce two dozen diverse species representing the full spectrum of serpentine life. And the artwork—breathtaking!”

Mark O’Shea, author of "The Book of Snakes"

“This book is your gateway to appreciating snakes. Crump takes you on a world tour of snake diversity, providing enough context and detail for you to get a sense of the remarkable variety of snake forms, behavior, and ecology. All this is accomplished in a wonderfully readable style, suitable for nature enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels.”

Joseph R. Mendelson III, director of research, Zoo Atlanta

“I am obsessed with Snake Day! This short book takes readers on a beautifully written and illustrated journey through the lives of some of the most fascinating snakes on the planet, delving into their feeding strategies (no hands!), how they reproduce, their ecological relationships with other animals, how they have inspired lifesaving drugs for people, and so much more. This book is sure to reinforce the opinions of snake lovers, hook the snake curious, and convert the snake phobic.”

Emily Taylor, author of "California Snakes and How to Find Them"

“Her stories are as mesmerizing as a cobra’s gaze.”

Praise for “Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder’s Fork and Lizard’s Leg” | BBC Wildlife

“Read a chapter here and there, and look up your favorite creepy crawly in the index. Or, look up one you loathe. You'll see it in a new light and find a respect for it that you didn't know you had.” 

Praise for “Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder’s Fork and Lizard’s Leg” | Sierra

“A scientific gem for everyone from the mildly curious to those well-versed on frog behavior, Crump’s Frog Day is pure pleasure.”

Praise for "Frog Day" | Booklist, starred review

“[Frog Day] describes each amphibian’s habits and distinctive physical characteristics during the hour when that animal is most active. . . . Biology students and armchair travelers alike will enjoy this chance to explore.”

Praise for "Frog Day" | Library Journal

Table of Contents

Preface
Artist’s Note

Midnight         Gans’s Egg-Eater (Africa)
1 AM               Burmese Python (Asia, Introduced Elsewhere)
2 AM               Brahminy Blindsnake (Asia, Introduced Elsewhere)
3 AM               Jararaca (South America)
4 AM               Malagasy Cat-Eyed Snake (Madagascar)
5 AM               Green Anaconda (South America)
6 AM               Puff Adder (Africa)
7 AM               Eastern Coral Snake (North America)
8 AM               European Adder (Asia, Europe)
9 AM               Iranian Spider-Tailed Viper (Asia)
10 AM             Red-Sided Garter Snake (North America)
11 AM             Paradise Tree Snake (Asia)
Noon               Broad-Headed Snake (Australia)
1 PM               Eastern Hognose Snake (North America)
2 PM               Turtle-Headed Sea Snake (Asia, Australia, New Caledonia)
3 PM               European Grass Snake (Asia, Europe)
4 PM               Tiger Keelback (Asia)
5 PM               Aesculapian Snake (Asia, Europe)
6 PM               Red-Bellied Blacksnake (Australia)
7 PM               Neotropical Snail-Eater (South America)
8 PM               Black-Necked Spitting Cobra (Africa)
9 PM               Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (North America)
10 PM             White-Bellied Mangrove Snake (Asia, Australia, Papua New Guinea)
11 PM             Boa Constrictor (South America)
Epilogue

Acknowledgments
Further Reading
Index

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