Sharp and Venom-bearing Teeth: Snake-Charmer and Jurassic Park

On a trip to the beach, my husband and I discovered Alligator Adventure. The alligators, caimans, and garial were great attractions (although the garial did want to show us a rabbit carcass it was mangling) but what really drew me in was the serpentarium. And the snake I spent the longest time watching was a cobra. She was silver (even her eyes!), beautiful, and deadly – and just by watching her I understood that subspecies of herpetologist that studies (and sometimes keeps) dangerous snakes.

Such a herpetologist is the central figure in Snake Charmer: a life and death in pursuit of knowledge. There were times when I felt exasperated with some of his actions – especially the failed expedition – but I loved the section where a Victorian travel account pointed to a new species. I’ve been working with piles of such manuscripts doing research on tigers and I can totally see their appeal as treasure maps. I was saddened that Slowinski’s legacy is limited to a handful of creatures either discovered by him or named for him… but I think it is a legacy he would embrace.

My husband and I have shared our home with several snakes over the years. Once he used an incubator to hatch a nest of black rat snakes. Thirty-eight nestlings emerged and looked down at me from over our cupboards until we found them homes. We also had ball pythons that would happily ride along in my hoodie pockets (they liked the warmth), corn snakes, a black pine snake, a rough green snake (the only one that belonged to me and a truly fierce killer of crickets),an anerythristic corn snake, and a Baird's rat snake.

Black Pine Snake

Rough green snake

Juvenile Black Rat Snake

Ball Python

Baird's Rat Snake

Anerythristic Corn Snake

Corn snake

Continuing on the theme of reptiles-that-kill-you, I was surprised how much Jurassic Park the novel varied from the film adaptation. The theme of the dangers posed by science was much more clearly conveyed in the book and, surprisingly, some of the scenes were more disturbing (the large raptors eating the baby raptor, or the decision to destroy the dino nests). Hammond was also written as a far more dangerous and ego-maniacal character that the one conveyed onscreen. Of course, the book didn’t make me jump out of my seat when a raptor’s head with its gleaming yellow eye pushed under a door – so score one for Hollywood, there! All in all, it was a fun addition to the summer reading list!

I’m following these works with Minton’s Giant Reptiles, so stay tuned for crocodiles and Komodo dragons!