Snake Men: Rebels, Reptiles, and the Race to Name Earth's Creatures

by Zach St. George

A wry and thought-provoking tale about the defiant, eccentric figures obsessed with Australia’s deadliest reptiles.


Raymond Hoser is known as the “Snakeman,” a moniker that he has zealously defended. As a day job, Hoser runs a Melbourne business that offers services such as snake removal and snake shows. But by the 2010s, he became famous around the world for an entirely different naming thousands of new species, including more snakes than any other scientist. To some, Hoser’s accomplishments were a scientific triumph. But others have accused Hoser of what they call “taxonomic vandalism,” the results of which, they argue, could alter the very course of life on Earth.


Snake Men recounts this outrageous story, tracing the surprising intersection between taxonomists, the scientists who have for centuries worked to understand the order of life, and Raymond Hoser and other snake men. The chaotic results hint at the rebellious impulse that lies coiled somewhere deep inside us all.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Audiobook

272 pages, Hardcover

Published July 7, 2026

About the author

Zach St. George is a science reporter who has written for the Atlantic, Scientific American, and Outside, among other publications. He earned a degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, and lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Non-Fiction book. I listen to the audiobook for this book, and I think the audiobook was done really well. I found parts of this book really interesting, but I also found parts boring. The start about the names was just a boring list of names of different types of animals. The middle and end of this book was all about snakes. I found most of that interesting. I do not see how the naming part and the snake part go together. It felt like almost two different books. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[Gem ~ZeroShelfControl~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating: 2*
Narrator: 2*
Science: 4*
Snakes: 2*

This was on paper, a great book for me to delve into, however it was way too science heavy for me. It concentrated more on the taxonomists and their biographies, than the animals and reptiles they were discovering. Lots of this book were just latin names of certain animals and I just found it unnecessary and boring. If you are in this field, or have a bigger interest in it than me, then this may well be a great book for you. But for a snake fan it missed the mark.

[Jess Keast · Rating 1 out of 5]

AKA "What the Bible Says About Snakes".

DNF at the end of chapter one (probably one of my shortest DNFs ever).

I thought this would be an interesting science book. But in the introduction alone the author quotes the bible so many times I actually lost count. I don't think the bible has any place in a scientific book.

I don't think the audiobook helped with my dislike, as the book is about an Australian but narrated by an American. I do not understand why Americans do not learn how to pronounce other country's words! Eg: It's more like "Mel-bin" than "Melboooouuuurrrne". (and I'm not Australian!).
They also criticise taxonomic names as being unpronounceable, which they aren't.

So much annoyed me in just the first chapter that I don't want to carry on and even learn about the man/men (dunno) that the book is about.

Hugely disappointing.




Thanks to NetGalley for the advance audiobook and ebook copies....

[Mike · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

These aren’t the snake men Gotham needs. But I guess they’re the ones we deserve.

[Andrew Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Snake Men: Rebels, Reptiles, and the Race to Name Earth's Creatures by Zach St. George is a fascinating and unconventional exploration of taxonomy, snakes, scientific rivalry, and the personalities behind the classification of life. At its center is Raymond Hoser, the self proclaimed “Snakeman,” whose work naming thousands of species places him at the heart of a much larger debate about how science defines and organizes the natural world.

What makes the book particularly compelling is the unusual intersection between Hoser's eccentric career and the centuries old scientific discipline of taxonomy. His efforts have been celebrated by some as important scientific contributions while criticized by others as “taxonomic vandalism,” creating a fascinating conflict over who has the authority to name and classify Earth's creatures.

The book also goes beyond snakes themselves by examining the rebellious personalities and institutional tensions surrounding scientific classification. The story raises broader questions about scientific authority, recognition, discovery, and the human impulse to challenge established systems.

Readers interested in zoology, natural history, reptiles, science, conservation, taxonomy, and unusual true stories should find Snake Men particularly engaging. Its combination of scientific history, eccentric personalities, controversy, and Australian wildlife gives it a distinctive appeal beyond conventional animal nonfiction.

[Foxx Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to start off by admitting i didn't finish this one. it just wasn't the book i was expecting. i thought it was going to be stories of people bushwhacking on the search of snakes and of the journey to discover new species. what i got was a very long and rather dry history lesson on the people who started the process of giving species scientific names. which is great! i learned a lot of cool stuff, but i had been expecting more of an animal focus than what i got. still, for what the book IS, it's amazing. you get a ton of amazing historical facts about the drama between early biologists each fighting to be the coolest kid on the block. you get to see the advance of science and the way people talk about animals, as well as how those animals are organized and you get to learn a lot about the names chosen to represent the animals in question, and the ego of those that do the discovering. So, even though this isn't really a book for me, i'm still giving it five stars because the history lesson managed to keep me far more engaged than i otherwise would have been. for those more into the history of this subject, this is absolutely a book for you!


Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company and Netgalley for this arc.

[Elysha Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snake Men is about taxonomy but more about the men involved, trying fight to name more species or preserve previous implied rules.

The main focus is on Raymond Hoser, an amateur Australian herpetologist who has created much controversy by naming a variety of reptiles and amphibians. He also performs reptile shows and removes snakes from people’s houses. The book also goes through the history of taxonomy as a science and various other controversies within the science.

It’s an interesting book in the sense that I had not heard of these people before or the controversies within taxonomic naming. It was interesting and even humorous at times going through some of the ridiculous people involved. It covers an area of science people do not think of often and definitely don’t think it would have any drama to it.

However I found Hoser generally unlikable, and not just an anti-hero type figure as it seemed like the book was trying to portray him as at times.

The narration was by the author and only ok. It felt very monotone and like I was being lectured at. This did make it hard to pay attention to at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snake men discusses the history of taxonomists- those that name animals, with a focus on Austrailan species. Some of the points brought up are how many differences do creatures need to have to be considered different, and if multiple people claim to name them, who's name stands. This has been going on since the beginning of time, but is focused on the pre-Darwin era of the 1800's to present day.
We also get to see some of the life of Raymond Hoser, the modern-day Snakeman, jack-of-all-reptiles who has named more than a thousand species of reptiles, amphibians, and insects. He shows snakes at birthday parties and catches nuisances by day, and writes scientific papers and fights legal actions against him by night.
I enjoyed learning about the history and ongoing battle amongst biologists to discover different species and had to laugh at the ridiculous names that have been created by Hoser.
The audiobook is read by the author which was very well done.

[Julie Friar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks at the history of people who have worked with snakes in Australia and became known as snake men. Snakes were studied and used for entertainment. There is always a need for them to be caught when they turn up in people’s homes. Taxonomists study them and identify new species and get to name them. In the early 200s one man became famous for naming hundreds and caused controversy amongst scientists. He was Raymond Hoser. This book tells us much more about him and his activities.

Well written and well narrated by the author (I listened to the audiobook thanks to NetGalley). Lots of interesting information about Hoser, snakes, other snake men and the court cases brought about. Enjoy.

[Charlene B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned some interesting things from this one, but overall I wasn't as engaged as I'd hoped to be. Part of that may have been the audiobook experience, I didn't particularly love the narration, which made it harder for me to stay focused. I was also unfamiliar with the people and stories being discussed, so I sometimes felt like I was missing context. Not a bad read, and I did take some things away from it, but it wasn't one that really grabbed me.

Thanks to Libro.fm for the ALC!

[Ula Tardigrade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who would guess that a book about taxonomy can be so riveting? I have never heard about Australia’s snake men nor about “taxonomy vandalism”, so I learned a lot but also had fun reading this. While it could be a bit more thoroughly edited, it was engaging and informative.

Thanks to the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

There was a lot more of gossip/controversy than information about the animals or the people involved. I enjoyed hearing about 80% of the information. I would not read it again, but I do recommend it if you have an interest in how the animal naming process works and animal controversy. It was certainly enlightening!

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned more about the taxonomy of snakes that I could have ever imagined but thoroughly enjoyed it.

I read an advanced copy of the book through NetGalley and was very grateful for the opportunity

[ladieniqma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly never knew it was that simple to name a species and create chaos for the scientific community in the process. It calls for organization of existing nomenclature while describing the drive of the ego to race to name new things and tie your own name to it. I learned something new from this book while being taken on a wild ride with some of the cowboys called Snake Men.

Thank you to WWNorton for this giveaway!