Snake (Animal Series) - Softcover

Drake Stutesman

3.19

16 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 186189239X ISBN 13: 9781861892393

Publisher: Reaktion Books, 2005

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The snake's primordial system, functioning for well over one hundred million years, is a marvel of genetic engineering. The snake smells with its tongue, hears with its flesh, and propels itself by a locomotion of rippling muscles. It sheds its skin, has a detachable tail, and mimics death if afraid. It copulates for days with one snake or fifty at once, and can even clone itself. With all these qualities it is easy to see why no other creature has inspired such contradictory emotions or diverse symbolism. Snakes are celebrated in names, tattoos, emblems, tales, mementos, and for their medical benefits in cultures throughout the world. Yet at the same time they are so universally feared that they endure intense persecution and, unlike other hunted animals, rarely enjoy protected rights. Virtually as long as humans have walked the earth, snakes have been worshipped, reviled, prized, totemized, tortured and collected, and invested with meanings ranging from resurrection, wisdom and divine female omniscience to world destruction, duplicity and male castration. "Snake" explores the animal's natural history, and the widespread snake symbolism, from Eve's serpent in the Bible, to Kaa in "The Jungle Book"; from the Chinese zodiac to Indian snake charmers and the Hollywood film "Anaconda". Including many illustrations and a wide range of material, from snake cooking and the use of venom in medicine, to the history of snake symbolism in art, architecture and clothing, this book will interest snake enthusiasts and specialists, as well as all those who love, admire or fear this remarkable and durable animal.

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Review:

"Reaktion's series of 'Animal' books . . . is forming a large and fascinating library of arcane knowledge about various species' physiology and, more, about the cultural significance they've accrued since humans first joined them on this planet, 15,000 odd years ago. Skipping from the Sumerians to The Simpsons, Stutesman demonstrates what we've also most venerated and feared about snakes."-- (11/01/2005)

"A lively and lovely series. . . . This delightful series gives us animals as both alien and familiar. . . . An exhilarating, often astonishing and sometimes moving series of monographs."-- (05/04/2006)

"A cornucopia of facts both trivial and important. . . . It is genuinely interesting."-- (02/25/2006)

"The illustrations are superb. . . . Books like this prompt you to collect your favourite facts as you read."-- (07/28/2006)

Synopsis:

The snake's primordial system, functioning for well over one hundred million years, is a marvel of genetic engineering. The snake smells with its tongue, hears with its flesh, and propels itself by a locomotion of rippling muscles. It sheds its skin, and has a detachable tail. Its eye is lidless, covered by a transparent scale, and its retina acts as a zoom lens. It has one lung, and breathes under sand. Its mouth unhinges to surround a body many times its size, and its digestion can takes months. It copulates for days with one snake or fifty at once, lay eggs, gives birth live, or self-clones. Its penis and its clitoris are forked. Its gender when in the womb is determined by heat. It has infrared radar. It mimics death if afraid or induces spontaneous bleeding. With all these qualities it is easy to see why no other creature has inspired such contradictory emotions or such diverse symbolism. Snakes are celebrated in names, tattoos, emblems, tales, mementos, and for their medical benefits in cultures throughout the world, and yet at the same time they are so universally feared that they endure intense persecution and, unlike other hunted animals, rarely enjoy protected rights.

Virtually as long as humans have walked the earth, snakes have been worshipped, reviled, prized, totemized, tortured and collected, and invested with meanings ranging from resurrection, wisdom and divine female omniscience to world destruction, duplicity and male castration. Snake explores snake natural history, and the complex and widespread snake symbolism, from Eve's serpent in the Bible, to Kaa in The Jungle Book, and from the Chinese zodiac to Indian snake charmers and the Hollywood film Anaconda. Including many illustrations and a wide range of material, from snake cooking and the use of venom in medicine, to the strange history of snake symbolism in art, architecture, cinema and clothing, this book will interest snake enthusiasts, specialists and scholars on animals in culture, as well as all who love, admire, imitate or fear this remarkable and durable animal.

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