The hognose snake may be feisty, but if it can’t scare away an enemy by hissing and acting tough, it will flop onto its back and play dead! Readers will learn this cool fact and much more about the snakes of the Midwest. This book will teach the difference between rattlesnakes and their look-a-likes, explain how snakes can be identified, and describe some unique adaptations of these Midwestern crawlers.

The hognose snake may be feisty, but if it can’t scare away an enemy by hissing and acting tough, it will flop onto its back and play dead! Readers will learn this cool fact and much more about the snakes of the Midwest. This book will teach the difference between rattlesnakes and their look-a-likes, explain how snakes can be identified, and describe some unique adaptations of these Midwestern crawlers.

Whether they are catching live fish, camouflaging themselves with surprising effectiveness, or slithering straight up tree trunks, snakes in the Northeast have some impressive talents. Even reluctant readers will be enthralled by page after page of colorful snake photographs.

The Pacific Northwest is home to a variety of snakes that range widely in size, behavior, and appearance. This book teaches students how to identify local snakes. It also imparts important life science concepts.

Whether they are catching live fish, camouflaging themselves with surprising effectiveness, or slithering straight up tree trunks, snakes in the Northeast have some impressive talents. Even reluctant readers will be enthralled by page after page of colorful snake photographs.

The Pacific Northwest is home to a variety of snakes that range widely in size, behavior, and appearance. This book teaches students how to identify local snakes. It also imparts important life science concepts.

Did you know the Southeast is home to the largest snake in the US? Or that it’s also home to the most venomous snake in the country? By the time readers are done with this book, they’ll know much, much more about the fascinating snakes in this region and their unique adaptations and traits.

With around 100 snake species, ranging from the harmless garter snake to the deadly rattlesnake, the Southwest is both a snake’s and a snake lover’s paradise. Curious readers will learn all about what’s slithering through the mountains and deserts of the region and exactly why the Southwest and West Coast are such a good habitat for these cold-blooded creatures.

From the rare and docile massasauga, which relies on camouflage to remain unnoticed, to the more familiar bullsnake, which defends itself by hissing loudly and vibrating its tail from an S-shaped striking position, to the eastern racer, often seen crawling at more than three miles an hour during daytime, snakes are beautiful animals with habits both fascinating and beneficial to humans. Their relatives the lizards, most of which are more easily seen and identified, exhibit similarly fascinating behavior. This colorful addition to our series of laminated guides informs both amateur and professional herpetologists about twenty-seven species of snakes and six species of lizards in the Upper Midwest states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. Terry VanDeWalle provides a complete description of each species, both adult and young, as well as distinguishing characteristics for thirty-two subspecies of snakes and two subspecies of lizards: length, color, head and neck patterns, scales, and so on. Also included is information about habitat preferences: forests, wet meadows, and sand prairies, for example. Most helpful for identifying snakes and lizards in the field are his comparisons of similar species and his comprehensive key. Superb photographs by Suzanne Collins of adult and, when needed for identification, young snakes and lizards make this guide the perfect companion for hikers in all kinds of environments whenever a snake ripples across your path or a lizard darts into the underbrush.