The republic of Costa Rica is home to almost 400 known species of amphibian and reptile. In The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna Between Two Continents, Between Two Seas (University of Chicago Press, £75), Jay M. Savage provides an in-depth guide to the biology of each species, with details of their anatomy, behaviour, systematics and distribution, as well as an identification guide. The book also contains many splendid photographs by Michael and Patricia Fogden, including this striking image of the snake Bothriechis schlegelii.