Boas and Pythons of the World Book

Foreword     5
Introduction     8
Evolution of Leglessness as an Advanced State     10
Anatomy of Snakes     11
Basal Snake Diversity and Distribution     15
Constriction     21
Giant Snakes: Myth or Monster?     23
Man-Eating Snakes     26
Life Underground     28
Conservation     30
The Americas     32
American Blindsnakes     34
Slender Blindsnakes
Blindsnakes
Early Blindsnakes
American Basal Snake     36
South American Pipesnake
American Macrostomatan Snakes     37
Meso-American Python
American Boas     38
Neotropical Treeboas
Rainbow Boas
West Indian Boas
Boa Constrictor
Anacondas
North American Rosy and Rubber Boas
Eyelash Boas
Central American Dwarf Boas
West Indian Dwarf Boas and Woodsnakes
Europe and Asia     64
European and Asian Blindsnakes     66
Slender Blindsnakes
Blindsnakes
Asian basal Snakes     69
Little Pipesnakes
Asian Pipesnakes
Shieldtails
Asian Macrostomatan Snakes     72
Sunbeam Snakes
Spine-jawed Snakes
Eurasian Sand Boas     74
Sand Boas
Asian Pythons     77
Short-tailed Pythons
Asian Rock Pythons
ReticulatedPython
Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands     92
African: Blindsnakes     94
Slender Blindsnakes
Blindsnakes
African Boas     98
Sand and Ground Boas
African Pythons     101
Small Pythons
African Rock Pythons
Indian Ocean Boas     108
Madagascan Boas
Round Island Boas
Australasia and the Pacific Ocean Islands     112
Australasian Blindsnakes     114
Blindsnakes
Indo-Australian Basal Snakes     116
East Indonesian Pipesnakes
Australasian Pythons     116
Black-headed Python Woma
Children's Pythons
Water Pythons
Olive Pythons
White-lipped Pythons
Papuan Archipelago Pythons
Carpet Pythons
Rare Australian Pythons
Tree Pythons
Scrub Pythons
Montane Pythons
Sunda Island Pythons
Pacific Boas     149
Pacific Island Boas
Further Reading and Bibliography     154
Index     156
Acknowledgements and Picture Credits     160