  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 10/01/2017 The small, shy, highly venomous boomslang snake is the focus of this title in the Toxic Creatures series. Native to South Africa, this distinctive reptile’s name means “tree snake,” as it spends most of its time in trees. In three clear chapters, peppered with glossy portraits and occasional charts, this book introduces the boomslang and its habits (diurnal; carnivorous; males are a bright green), its venom (the snakes are rear-fanged with a wide mouth and are extremely hemotoxic from birth, meaning their venom—not poison!—affects their victim’s blood), and its place in the ecosystem (they feed on rodents, thereby reducing disease). Though occasionally verging on sensational—several ways in which the snake could endanger humans are elaborated upon before it’s mentioned that human-boomslang encounters are rare—this is a solid, well-designed introduction to a fascinating, lesser-known creature. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. Loading...
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