Reptiles and Amphibians of the Amazon: An Ecotourist's Guide

Rating:
Summary: A straightforward listing of species
Review: A lengthy inset section of full-color photographs beautifully illustrates Reptiles And Amphibians Of The Amazon: An Ecotourist's Guide, which is a straightforward listing of species of frog, salamander, turtle, lizard, snake, and more. Each entry describes the species' appearance (with a note in regard to similar-looking species), habitat, reproductive cycle, and much more. Reptiles And Amphibians Of The Amazon an excellent catalogue and reference for field identification. Also very highly recommended is the Bartlett's A Field Guide To Florida Reptiles And Amphibians.

Rating:
Summary: Reptiles and Amphibians of the Amazon: An Ecotourist's Guide
Review: Reptiles and Amphibians of the Amazon: An Ecotourist's Guide by Richard D. Bartlett and Patricia P. Bartlett is a 291 page paperback published by the University Press of Florida. Having read several of the Bartletts' guides to herp captive care, I was a bit disappointed by this effort. It appears that the Bartletts' main talent lies in husbandry and less in the realm of writing about field herping. The species overviews are weak and several are misinformed. The Bartletts refer to some species that do not even occur in the Amazon region while leaving several very important and common species out of the guide. This was surprising for a book that aims to furnish information on some of the more common herps throughout Amazonia. As a matter of fact, the majority of the reptiles and amphibians that are illustrated in this book are unlikely to even be seen by an ecotourist. I found the photo quality to be poor and numerous species were misidentified. Furthermore, the title is a bit misleading as most of the species represented in this book are from the Upper Amazon region of Peru, making this guide not as user friendly in other areas of the Amazon. I have traveled extensively, and the Amazon is one of my favorite spots to visit. I was really hoping to finally have a herp guide that would prove useful throughout the mighty Amazon. Looks like my wait continues!