Nitpickers will surely complain that this book does not always follow the standard common and scientific names established by Collins. Suffice to say that there is a fierce debate about taxonomy at the moment, and to dismiss a book because its authors take the other side of that debate ignores the treasure of knowledge that a book like this offers. Frankly, most readers couldn't care less one way or the other; there's more to herpetology than just taxonomy. The snakes remain the snakes no matter what they're called.

If only guides to snakes of other regions were this good. Highly recommended.


Review of Texas Snakes   July 10, 2000
 10 out of 13 found this review helpful

An excellent book for anyone who wants information about the Snakes of Texas & even surrounding states. Comprehensive in content: from vivid color photographs for easy identification; myths, legends and folklore, to behaviors of specific species, it has it all!


Snakes of Texas   July 2, 2000
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

The book by Werler and Dixon is current in its technical aspects from the scientific classification view. It takes into consideration some of the technical errors that have been made in the last few years by even experienced people and brings this information current.

At the same time, the book gets away from some of the "standardized" common names that have been used for over twenty years that are misleading. It lists some of these with more applicable common names. This work is creative and is definitely not status quo where common names are concerned. This benefits the reader.

The book is somewhat unique in that it is a collective effort of a respected zoo man (Werler) and a respected museum curator (Dixon). They obviously have worked in concert to develop natural history information that is interesting to read and applicable to someone observing or collecting in the field.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in herpetology, especially if they are interested in Texas herpetology.


Snakes of Texas   July 2, 2000
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

The book by Werler and Dixon is current in its technical aspects from the scientific classification view. It takes into consideration some of the technical errors that have been made in the last few years by even experienced people and brings this information current.

At the same time, the book gets away from some of the "standardized" common names that have been used for over twenty years that are misleading. It lists some of these with more applicable common names. This work is creative and is definitely not status quo where common names are concerned. This benefits the reader.

The book is somewhat unique in that it is a collective effort of a respected zoo man (Werler) and a respected museum curator (Dixon). They obviously have worked in concert to develop natural history information that is interesting to read and applicable to someone observing or collecting in the field.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in herpetology, especially if they are interested in Texas herpetology.


The Definitive Volume on Texas Snakes   June 21, 2000
This book is a welcome and much-needed addition to the literature on identification and natural history of Texas snakes! The color photos are beautiful and the maps depict more detailed localities than usually found in comparable books. Common names are helpful and grammatically correct (i.e., Yellow-bellied Water Snake, as opposed to Yellowbelly Water Snake, as listed in some current publications). Scientific names are up-to-date; in fact, some reflect research currently in press in herpetological journals. Drs. Werler and Dixon have provided amateur and professional herpetologists alike with the benefit of their 100-plus years of combined experience with Texas snakes. If you purchase only one book on Texas snakes, this is the one to choose.