Features both native and non-native species now living in Florida
“A welcome addition to the library of the amateur and professional herpetologist alike, covering such diverse topics as molecular biology all the way to charming personal anecdotes.”—Charles Scott Pfaff, herpetology curator, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
“With a growing species list wrought by thriving alien taxa, and the changing abundance of many other forms, much of what is already written about Florida’s herpetofauna has become outdated and incomplete. A need for a new reference, to treat a new fauna, has emerged. The Bartletts have answered this need with a fine new book.”—Steve Reichling, author of Reptiles and Amphibians of the Southern Pine Woods
From alligators in backyard swimming pools to tiny lizards on window screens, you don’t have to go far in Florida to find reptiles. Both fascinating and feared, there are more than one hundred species and subspecies of turtles, lizards, and crocodilians in the state—nearly half of which are non-native.
Florida’s Turtles, Lizards, and Crocodilians is the most comprehensive field guide available to identify and understand these creatures. Complete with range maps, vibrant color photographs, and detailed descriptions, the book is filled with information. Tips on herping (similar to birding) include where and when to look for different kinds of lizards, turtles, and crocodilians in the wild, how to identify them, which ones you can and cannot capture, how to properly care for unregulated species at home, and how best to photograph them.
From 200-pound snapping turtles to tiny, legless worm lizards, from animals that live in the open ocean to ones that prefer dry sands, from caimans to terrapins to basilisks (though not the Harry Potter variety), everything you could want to know about Florida’s non-snake reptiles can be found in this book.
R. D. Bartlett is a veteran herpetologist and herpetoculturist with more than four decades’ experience writing, photographing, and educating people about reptiles and amphibians. Patricia P. Bartlett, a full-time editor and writer, is the author of Dictionary of Sharks.
