Slither

In Slither: How Nature’s Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World, science writer Stephen S. Hall offers a fascinating exploration of snakes. Drawing from the humanities and science, Hall reframes these animals not as cold-blooded symbols of evil, but as influential players in natural and human history. They have appeared in our stories for millennia, from the healing temples of Ancient Greece to the Christian Bible’s Garden of Eden. The book traces how opposing representations—as villains versus symbols of rebirth and wisdom—reflect deeper human attitudes. Each chapter concludes with a side essay that spotlights a specific location where snakes have had a notable cultural or ecological impact.

Hall also discusses snakes’ increasing use in research—particularly medical research, where the pathological effects of snake venom, which vary by species and location, can provide insights for drug discovery. (Sadly, however, snakes and other cold-blooded animals in laboratories are afforded no protection under the federal Animal Welfare Act.) Meanwhile, efforts to better understand their own unique metabolisms, sensory perception, and reproductive systems have yielded astounding discoveries—but often again at the expense of individual snakes. At one point, Hall describes snakes who are “about to donate their bodies to science,” a characterization that glosses over the involuntary nature of this “donation” (and the ethics of killing animals to learn more about them). Elsewhere, though, he highlights the role of snakes in fields such as biomimetic robotics and citizen science, where nonlethal, less invasive approaches can still provide valuable insights.

With over 4,000 known species and a history dating back 130–150 million years, snakes are evolutionary marvels. Nevertheless, like many other reptiles, their numbers are declining due to habitat destruction and other human-caused factors. Slither, both informative and thought-provoking, reveals how snakes have influenced not just ecosystems, but also our myths, medicine, and morality. Hall encourages readers to see snakes not as threats, but as complex and vital creatures worthy of respect and protection.

Author: Stephen S. Hall

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

No. Pages: 416

Program Terms: Terrestrial Wildlife

AWI Quarterly Terms: Review