The best Biology of Reptiles & Amphibians books: Reddit reviews

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When I took Herpetology in college, we all had to buy a Peterson's Guide for lab. That's where I started. Next, I check this sub multiple times a day and try to ID the snakes.

A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona is a great book put out by the Arizona Game & Fish Department. You can get it on their website (says $1 but I think that's a typo, it's more like $15) or on Amazon for $21.

Here’s a field guide for reptiles and amphibians in Arizona. They sell copies at Game and Fish offices to. Gives cool info on life history and location. https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Amphibians-Reptiles-Arizona/dp/B000KKMWWE

One of the main spreaders of the frogs wrote a book in 2005: Panic in Paradise: Invasive Species Hysteria and the Hawaiian Coqui Frog War

>According to medical anthropologists Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer, the frog war is a carefully planned fraud, motivated by corruption and conflict of interest, and rooted in a philosophy of hate and intolerance for non-native species.

Guy's name was Sidney Singer, or close to that. He was unapologetic. Tribune Herald had being article on him in the 1990s.

He wrote a book; here is link: Panic in Paradise: Invasive Species Hysteria and the Hawaiian Coqui Frog War

>According to medical anthropologists Sydney Ross Singer and Soma Grismaijer, the frog war is a carefully planned fraud, motivated by corruption and conflict of interest, and rooted in a philosophy of hate and intolerance for non-native species.

If you're interested in mating behavior, read Vladmir Dinet's book Dragon Songs. Hands-down the best description of crocodilian mating behavior and what it looks like you'll ever see.

There are some good field guides that cover your area, and these are better and more efficient to help you learn your local species. You should pick up this one; you can find one used in good condition on eBay or Amazon for $12-

Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, 4th Edition

You could also try the older, 3rd Edition Expanded, which is going for $9 used on Amazon. It's behind the times in terms of taxonomy, but it has more pictures, and it also includes more information about many species lifestyles and habits, which might be useful to a young student of the game such as yourself.

Books should not move or have eyes. If it wiggles on its own stay away!

I would recommend

https://www.amazon.com/Snake-Essential-Visual-Chris-Mattison/dp/1465443797/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=snake+book&qid=1611861207&sr=8-3

And to write a book skin the snake and then shake some ink in it like a wiggly maraca, bury it under a Starbucks sign and dig it up on the third day to find a book

!resources

I grew up with this lol. Super basic stuff and maybe a bit dated but I always enjoyed looking through it. Might be a good primer for more in-depth books.

As Snowshoe Thompson said back in the 1800s, "There is no danger of getting lost in a narrow range of mountains like the Sierra, if a man has his wits about him." He had also commented that it was "unnecessary ever to remain so long in the mountains that one need be afraid of starving to death". However, the key part is the "has his wits about him" bit, as these days many people do not and thus require rescue.

Still, that's no reason not to look through a field guide, and one that comes to mind is The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada. Bushcraft is less common, in many areas the ecosystem is too delicate for such activity, and of course there's little need for it anyway.

(Pedantic note: Just as "deer" are not called "deers", the mountain range is simply the "Sierra")

Snake head shape is also a bad idea. Most snakes will flatten their head when threatened or preparing to strike. Think of what cobras can do, but not so extreme. This is to puff up and look more threatening. This isn't 100% universal, but a common behavior.

Yes your rattle snakes of the family Crotalidae/Viperidae do have very prominent head shape, but the rattling is such a better way to pick them out. Contrasting, the coral snake, Micrurus tener, has a very round head, looks very similar to milk snakes, however their neurotoxin venom will kill you.

EDIT: Best advice I have is to just pick a field guide of your region and read it. (https://www.amazon.com/Peterson-Reptiles-Amphibians-Eastern-Central/dp/0544129970) Other then that, just let the sneks be sneks and slither away!

I'll just copy and paste what I responded to earlier in the comment thread. Too lazy to type.

"Snake head shape is also a bad idea. Most snakes will flatten their head when threatened or preparing to strike. Think of what cobras can do, but not so extreme. This is to puff up and look more threatening. This isn't 100% universal, but a common behavior.

Yes your rattle snakes of the family Crotalidae/Viperidae do have very prominent head shape, but the rattling is such a better way to pick them out. Contrasting, the coral snake, Micrurus tener, has a very round head, looks very similar to milk snakes, however their neurotoxin venom will kill you.

EDIT: Best advice I have is to just pick a field guide of your region and read it. (https://www.amazon.com/Peterson-Reptiles-Amphibians-Eastern-Central/dp/0544129970) Other then that, just let the sneks be sneks and slither away!"

The general rule of thumb is to call 1/3rd of your bodyweight a hard maximum for pack weight. At that point, the extra weight gets pretty hard on your joints (not to say I haven't seen some beastly men carrying 70+lb packs, but no one considers that situation ideal).

33lbs is on the light side. That's not a bad thing! As long as you've got your essentials, you should be all set. I'm assuming you have a stove and fuel -- there are no campfires permitted in Desolation, and frankly cooking on a fire is a huge pain in the ass. Your stove is also your emergency water supply is something happens to your filter (unlikely, but hey).

If you're on a solo trek, I suggest a novel and/or journal for the evenings. They can get lonely. If you're a curious human being, the John Muir Laws field guide to the Sierra is literally the greatest field guide I've ever encountered. I carry mine every trip into the mountains, and a pen. I write down where and when I get a positive ID on a new species of flower, bird, mammal, etc. It's a bit on the heavy side (maybe a pound?) making it a luxury for sure. Definitely not an essential for your first trip, but if you start getting curious, that's the best field guide ever.

It sounds like you're gonna do great! Have fun and be safe! If you happen to remember, report back when you get home safe! I'm going to spend the weekend wondering if I've killed a Redditor...

Vladimir Dinets, a zoologist who had some really cool research on crocodilians and realized that basically, they're smart as fuck and have waaay more complex behavior than the scientific community had previously realized. He wrote a book about it, called Dragon Songs and it's very fascinating.

I would suggest joining COPARC (Colorado Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation) on FB. COPARC has events where a bunch of herpers all get together and go out to find some reptiles and amphibians. Another thing I would suggest is checking out Smetlogik on youtube, he does videos on field herping many of which are based out of Colorado(not many on specific locals or anything though) . If you do decide to join COPARC you could post and ask for some help herping Colorado and I'm sure there would be some people happy to help!

On a last side note I would suggest getting a Colorado field guide for reptiles and amphibians. I personally think that Amphibians and Reptiles in Colorado, Revised Edition Paperback – November 1, 1999 by Geoffrey A. Hammerson is the best version. http://www.amazon.com/Amphibians-Reptiles-Colorado-Revised-Edition/dp/0870815342

As far as my personally advice, in the city garters can be found around ponds or streams on warm days basking, as for the rest you have to leave Denver proper to really get to much.

Audubon Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians

http://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-American-Reptiles-Amphibians/dp/0394508246

Audubon Guide to North American Insects and Spiders

http://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-Society-American-Insects/dp/0394507630

The Audubon Guides were beautiful color-photographic plates over several hundred pages that detailed almost all major species. I found them on my father's shelves when I was 5 or 6 and carried them around with me for about 6 years. It is, to this day, why I know most snakes by sight, immediately, and the same for insects and spiders.

I wish I still had them.