Steve's Herpetological Blog

An insight into the life of Steve, his research and the many books he reads

Natural History

#SteveReviews: Monsters of God

If you know much about the reptile pet trade, you will be aware that it has an illegal and upsetting dark side. Eric Goode’s Monsters of God is an uncomfortable documentary series because its subject is simultaneously fascinating, disturbing and…

#MuseumMonday: A quick visit to the Dorking Museum and Heritage Centre

A couple of months ago now, I visited the Dorking Museum and Heritage Centre with a few friends of mine, one of which whom is a volunteer at the Museum. The Dorking Museum and Heritage Centre is a small but…

#SciFri: A Body of Knowledge at the Royal College of Physicians

As you may have seen from the recently #MuseumMonday post, I visited the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Museum, which is located in in Regent’s Park. While I was there, I visited the temporary exhibition A Body of Knowledge which…

#MuseumMonday: Timeline of exhibitions at the British Library

The British Library is perhaps best known as one of the world’s great repositories of books, manuscripts and historical documents, but its collections also provide a remarkable window into the natural world and our understanding of it. Across its history,…

#StevesLibrary: The Lives of Snakes – A Natural History of the World’s Snakes

Who is ready for another book review? The Lives of Snakes: A Natural History of the World’s Snakes by Chris Mattison is an ambitious and beautifully presented exploration of one of the most misunderstood groups of animals on Earth. Written…

#SciFri: When frogs were used as pregnancy tests

Long before lateral flow pregnancy tests became a routine purchase in pharmacies or supermarkets, confirming a pregnancy was a slow, uncertain, and often expensive process. During the early twentieth century, physicians relied on indirect signs and symptoms or laboratory tests…

#StevesReviews: Evolution with Chris Packham

Few concepts have shaped modern biology as profoundly as evolution. It underpins every aspect of ecology, genetics, physiology, behaviour and conservation, yet communicating evolutionary theory to a general audience remains a considerable challenge. Evolutionary processes often occur over immense timescales,…

#StevesLibrary: DK Eyewitness: Amphibian

Thinking about my own personal development, few publishers have shaped children’s non-fiction as profoundly as Dorling Kindersley (DK). For more than three decades, the Eyewitness series has introduced millions of readers to subjects ranging from dinosaurs and space exploration to…

#SciFri: Kew Gardens – A Comprehensive Review and History of Britain’s Botanical Treasure

I have previously written on the wonders of Kew Gardens, but since then I have learnt a lot more about this amazing attraction, so I thought I’d try to do it justice this time. In my mind, there are few…

#SciFri: Wild Health – People, Nature & One Health

The health of people, animals and the natural world is inseparable. The quality of the environments in which we live, the health of wildlife and domestic animals, the spread of infectious diseases, the pollutants we release into the environment and…