Amphibians and Reptiles of Alberta: A Field Guide and Primer of Boreal Herpetology

Rating:
Summary: A better textbook than a field guide
Review: Not all regional field guides are the same: some aim to be thorough references of their subject matter, others aim to be useable in the field. This one is as much a university-level textbook on Alberta herpetofauna, with general information as well as discussions of local habitat that take up more room than the species descriptions themselves.

On the one hand, this makes for a useful reference to its subject, particularly for biology students (its bibliography, for example, is enormous); on the other, its scanty species descriptions reduce its usefulness for those who want a field guide, or who want to know more specifically about the animals in question.

In at least one instance this limited space leads to an oversimplication that I believe to be incorrect: the book states that garter and hognose snakes are rear-fanged and mildly venomous. While they have enlarged rear teeth and their saliva does seem to cause reactions in some people, I do not believe that is the same as venom produced by venom glands and delivered by hollow fangs, as is the case with true rear-fanged snakes (such as Hypsiglena, Trimorphodon, Boiga). In any event, the characterization overlooks such subtleties, which detracts from our understanding of these animals.

Rating:
Summary: A better textbook than a field guide
Review: Not all regional field guides are the same: some aim to be thorough references of their subject matter, others aim to be useable in the field. This one is as much a university-level textbook on Alberta herpetofauna, with general information as well as discussions of local habitat that take up more room than the species descriptions themselves.

On the one hand, this makes for a useful reference to its subject, particularly for biology students (its bibliography, for example, is enormous); on the other, its scanty species descriptions reduce its usefulness for those who want a field guide, or who want to know more specifically about the animals in question.

In at least one instance this limited space leads to an oversimplication that I believe to be incorrect: the book states that garter and hognose snakes are rear-fanged and mildly venomous. While they have enlarged rear teeth and their saliva does seem to cause reactions in some people, I do not believe that is the same as venom produced by venom glands and delivered by hollow fangs, as is the case with true rear-fanged snakes (such as Hypsiglena, Trimorphodon, Boiga). In any event, the characterization overlooks such subtleties, which detracts from our understanding of these animals.

Rating:
Summary: A superbly presented field guide and primer
Review: Now in an updated and expanded second edition, Anthony Russell and Aaron Bauer's The Amphibians And Reptiles Of Alberta is enhanced with color photographs by Wayne Lynch and black/white illustrations by Irene McKinnon. This superbly presented field guide and primer of Boreal Herpetology showcases the amphibians and reptiles that are part of the ecological economy of Alberta, Canada. The Amphibians And Reptiles Of Alberta is an essential, core, scholarly addition to professional and academic Canadian amphibian and herpetofauna wildlife reference collections.