Slither
How Nature's Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World
-
-
5.0 • 3 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
In this "wise and wondrous" (David Quammen) exploration, a science writer reintroduces readers to The Snake, encouraging our initial reaction to the slithery creature to be one of awe rather than disgust.
For millennia, depictions of snakes as alternatively beautiful and menacing creatures have appeared in religious texts, mythology, poetry, and beyond. From the foundational deities of ancient Egypt to the reactions of squeamish children today, it is a historically commonplace belief that snakes are devious, dangerous, and even evil. But where there is hatred and fear, there is also fascination and reverence. How is it that creatures so despised and sinister, so foreign of movement and ostensibly devoid of sociality and emotion, have fired the imaginations of poets, prophets, and painters across time and cultures?
In Slither, Stephen S. Hall presents a naturalistic, cultural, ecological, and scientific meditation on these loathed yet magnetic creatures. In each chapter, he explores a biological aspect of The Snake, such as their cold blooded metabolism and venomous nature, alongside their mythology, artistic depictions, and cultural veneration. In doing so, he explores not only what neurologically triggers our wary fascination with these limbless creatures, but also how the current generation of snake scientists is using cutting-edge technologies to discover new truths about these evolutionarily ancient creatures—truths that may ultimately affect and enhance human health.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this excellent study, science journalist Hall (Wisdom) surveys the distinctive biology and behavior of snakes. He describes, for instance, how the sidewinder achieves lateral locomotion by using its head as an anchor while pushing its body to the side, and how female snakes across species can prevent unwanted insemination by closing their oviducts or increasing the acidity of their genitals, destroying sperm. Serpents have more complex social lives than commonly appreciated, Hall posits, noting that some rattlesnake mothers care for their young after birth, prefer hanging out with certain fellow females over others, and entrust such "friends" to babysit their brood. Examining what humans stand to learn from the reptiles, Hall details how scientists hope to develop new diabetes treatments for humans by studying how pythons cope with the insulin shock of consuming prey 1.6 times their body mass "in one gulp." The surprising science will change how readers view snakes, and sections tracing how cultures throughout history have viewed the creatures shed light on how they became so maligned. For example, Hall suggests snakes became Christian symbols of evil in part because of the religion's efforts to vilify followers of the Greek god Asklepios, who was said to have learned his healing techniques from snakes. The result is a revelatory take on the much feared reptiles.
