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Crocodiles of the World
What animal has the most powerful bite of any living creature? What animal has compounds within its blood that can combat diseases for which humans have no medicines? Which animal breathes air, but can stay submerged for hours at a time? The answer is of course the crocodilians – crocodiles, alligators and their cousins the caimans and the gharial. This book aims to be more than an introduction or overview of crocodiles: it will provide the reader with details only available previously in the scientific journals, specialist publications or much more technical books. The information is presented in clear language without the need for technical knowledge. The author has painstakingly ensured that the information is based on the most recent studies. The text is accompanied by photos that further illuminate the true nature of these incredible predators. Whether casually interested or deeply fascinated by crocodiles, your needs are met in this book.
176 pages, Hardcover
Published September 2, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 23, 2023
I must say I am quite glad I happened to find this during one of my library visits. If I hadn't, I might have ended up paying a substantial enough price for a surprisingly unsatisfying book. Although Stevenson ticks the fundamental boxes for what this kind of book should do, and then packages it with a beautiful cover, the execution is just way too formulaic, the writing too dry and somehow disinterested.
Of course, there is some interesting information here, and I still learned a lot about crocodilians I didn't know before. But it just isn't very fun to read - and I reject that any non-fiction book of this sort cannot be fun.
I would say I am somewhere between the range Stevenson identifies as his intended audience - that is, the casually interested and the deeply obsessed. So I wanted to like this book very much. But all the same, I did not care for the first half, which dives deeply into all the physiological details: bones, osteoderms, teeth, eyes, the quite gross-looking cloaca. But I appreciated the need for all this dense information, and so I contentedly slogged through it, holding out for the second half, where each species of crocodile, alligator, caiman and gharial was to be examined more particularly.
However, this section was not that much better. Not much variation is present between each species as far as this book goes. It's just recycling the same, trivially variant biological facts twenty-four times. To be honest, I didn't really care about how many teeth each had, nor how big their nests were. The stuff that appealed most to me was their ecologies, their reputed maximum sizes, their interactions with humans and other animals. There was a decent amount of some of this stuff, but as for human-crocodile encounters, Stevenson seems intent on disappointing anyone who might pick up his book with the awe-inspired fear that fires my own fascination in crocodiles.
He rarely dwelt on the more dangerous aspects of them, and doesn't say anything about some - such as the American alligator - being man-eaters. I hope this doesn't sound like I approached the book anticipating a bloodbath, because that is far from the truth. I just cannot deny the fact that the primary reason I am interested in crocodiles and their like is that they are spectacular, awe-inspiring predators worthy of our fearful respect.
Finally, for what it's worth, perhaps the best thing about this book is that I actually know more than the mere four species I did before reading it. I've always loved "salties" - they're amazing and native to my own country, albeit far up north in the tropics; they are the great whites of the crocodilians. But now I also have a liking for the black caiman, the critically endangered gharials, the elusive tomistoma, and the intimidating Nile crocodiles (which I did also know of previous to this book. They were part of the reason I wanted to go to Egypt for my honeymoon).
As a side-note, the editing is atrocious. Even the writing, more generally, is not very good. Lots of clunky, unpolished sentences.
Of course, there is some interesting information here, and I still learned a lot about crocodilians I didn't know before. But it just isn't very fun to read - and I reject that any non-fiction book of this sort cannot be fun.
I would say I am somewhere between the range Stevenson identifies as his intended audience - that is, the casually interested and the deeply obsessed. So I wanted to like this book very much. But all the same, I did not care for the first half, which dives deeply into all the physiological details: bones, osteoderms, teeth, eyes, the quite gross-looking cloaca. But I appreciated the need for all this dense information, and so I contentedly slogged through it, holding out for the second half, where each species of crocodile, alligator, caiman and gharial was to be examined more particularly.
However, this section was not that much better. Not much variation is present between each species as far as this book goes. It's just recycling the same, trivially variant biological facts twenty-four times. To be honest, I didn't really care about how many teeth each had, nor how big their nests were. The stuff that appealed most to me was their ecologies, their reputed maximum sizes, their interactions with humans and other animals. There was a decent amount of some of this stuff, but as for human-crocodile encounters, Stevenson seems intent on disappointing anyone who might pick up his book with the awe-inspired fear that fires my own fascination in crocodiles.
He rarely dwelt on the more dangerous aspects of them, and doesn't say anything about some - such as the American alligator - being man-eaters. I hope this doesn't sound like I approached the book anticipating a bloodbath, because that is far from the truth. I just cannot deny the fact that the primary reason I am interested in crocodiles and their like is that they are spectacular, awe-inspiring predators worthy of our fearful respect.
Finally, for what it's worth, perhaps the best thing about this book is that I actually know more than the mere four species I did before reading it. I've always loved "salties" - they're amazing and native to my own country, albeit far up north in the tropics; they are the great whites of the crocodilians. But now I also have a liking for the black caiman, the critically endangered gharials, the elusive tomistoma, and the intimidating Nile crocodiles (which I did also know of previous to this book. They were part of the reason I wanted to go to Egypt for my honeymoon).
As a side-note, the editing is atrocious. Even the writing, more generally, is not very good. Lots of clunky, unpolished sentences.
December 31, 2021
Finding books specifically on certain orders of reptiles rather than a general "reptiles and amphibians" guide is rare outside of academic texts, so this was a treat. I've been looking for one just on crocodilians for years, and this didn't disappoint.
While it goes into great depth on the side of science for a book for the general public, it's never daunting or dull, told without unnecessary flowery prose that tends to bulk up a lot of popular science books. The author clearly loves his subject material, and speaks from a conservationist perspective as well as routinely pointing out the social/societal/financial issues that encourage poaching on the local level.
The only thing I could have really asked for out of this would have been a longer section on prehistoric crocodilians--normally I don't think that it's necessary, especially in cases like this where the emphasis is on an animal still living, but on something so ancient as this, it would have been fun to see more to-scale representations of just how much these animals have evolved to something smaller. Again, it didn't detract from the book, but would have been fun.
As an object, the book's design is near flawless, the images printed right on the hardcase without a dust jacket, glossy pages with all full color images (with the exception of historical images/art), and flyleaves patterned with closeups of scales.
While it goes into great depth on the side of science for a book for the general public, it's never daunting or dull, told without unnecessary flowery prose that tends to bulk up a lot of popular science books. The author clearly loves his subject material, and speaks from a conservationist perspective as well as routinely pointing out the social/societal/financial issues that encourage poaching on the local level.
The only thing I could have really asked for out of this would have been a longer section on prehistoric crocodilians--normally I don't think that it's necessary, especially in cases like this where the emphasis is on an animal still living, but on something so ancient as this, it would have been fun to see more to-scale representations of just how much these animals have evolved to something smaller. Again, it didn't detract from the book, but would have been fun.
As an object, the book's design is near flawless, the images printed right on the hardcase without a dust jacket, glossy pages with all full color images (with the exception of historical images/art), and flyleaves patterned with closeups of scales.
July 2, 2025
Crocodiles of the World by Colin Stevenson offers a short but meaningful overview of crocodilian biology, evolutionary history, ecology, and conservation. The author presents the latest information on crocodilian research, with some topics enriched by his personal observations and opinions. Furthermore, the book also serves as a guide to all extant species. Useful information on biogeography, ecology, behavior, and conservation efforts is provided for most species. The book contains numerous photographs and figures which, in the case of each species, are highly useful—even for a seasoned crocodile enthusiast. I highly recommend the book to anyone with an interest in reptiles, wildlife conservation, or crocodilian biology in general. However, if you are expecting an in-depth treatment similar to Biology and Evolution of Crocodilians (Grigg & Kirshner, 2015), you might find this book less comprehensive.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews