Snake Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Serpentine Lives

£15.00

Available for Pre-order. Due May 2026.

Snake Day: A Story of 24 Hours and 24 Serpentine Lives Author: Illustrator: Stuart Patience Format: Hardback First Published: Published By: The University of Chicago Press
string(3) "184"
Pages: 184 Illustrations and other contents: 24 halftones Language: English ISBN: 9780226842943 Categories: , , , , ,

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 life-saving drug, used to treat hypertension and heart failure. Later in the morning, in the Zagros Mountains that trace Iran’s northwest border, there’s enough light to see a tiny arachnid wiggling on the ground. When a warbler dives for a meal, he realizes his mistake too late; that spider is actually a snake’s tail, and a spider-tailed horned viper makes a meal of the bird. In the early afternoon, in a pine forest outside of Atlanta, Georgia, an eastern hognose snake will strike at us—a bluff—and then roll over and play 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 chapter, celebrated artist Stuart Patience has depicted these scenes with stunning pen and ink illustrations. 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 readers, amateur scientists, and anyone who recoils from or relishes snake visits.

Weight0.454 kg
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“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 *

Author Biography

Marty Crump is an adjunct professor of biology at Utah State and Northern Arizona Universities. She is the author or coauthor of fourteen books, including Frog Day; A Year with Nature; and Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder's Fork and Lizard's Leg, all published by the University of Chicago Press. Stuart Patience is a London-based illustrator whose hand-drawn work has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, The New Yorker, The New York Times, New Scientist, and World Wildlife. He is the illustrator of Mushroom Day.