Giant reptiles - Softcover

Minton, Sherman A. Jr. & Madge Rutherford Minton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0684132672 ISBN 13: 9780684132679

Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973

Synopsis

No human eyes ever saw a living dinosaur, but the giant reptiles that have survived into the time of man have deeply influenced his thinking and contributed in important ways to his economy and culture. These reptiles are the subject of this book. Included are the crocodiles and alligators, the giant tortoises of the Galapagos and Aldabra islands, the sea turtles, some of the large freshwater turtles, the dragon lizard of Komodo, and the giant boas and pythons, as well as some big snakes of other kinds. The authors have summarized factual information about the giant reptiles and related it to the rich store of myth and folklore that has grown up around these reptiles. They have made a special effort to evaluate realistically the danger that some of these animals present to man. While the reptiles' great size has made them ideal subjects for legend, it has been a real impediment to their scientific study. There is much more reliable information about the biology of the 5" side-blotched lizard than about the saltwater crocodile or the Komodo dragon. In gathering information on the habits of the giant reptiles, the authors have drawn from observations of early naturalists, who knew these animals when they were still incredibly abundant, as well as from work of contemporaries who now use sophisticated electronic gear to track sea turtles and boa constrictors. Whether the great reptiles that man once regarded as supernaturally powerful will exist much longer is now very largely an option for man to exercise in the near future. The decline in numbers of the world's giant reptiles, especially the turtles and crocodilians, has been precipitous in the last century, catastrophic in the last few decades. Some species may be already pas salvage; others can be saved only by determined efforts based on sound biological knowledge.

Edition details

• Publisher: Charles Scribner's Sons
• Publication date: 1973
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0684132672
• ISBN 13: 9780684132679
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Illus. With Photos
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 345