When evo–devo transcends the etiological myth

How the Snake Lost its Legs is Lewis Held’s second essay approaching the theme of developmental evolution with a focus on natural oddities. His previous opus—Quirks of Human Anatomy: An Evo-Devo Look at the Human Body—unraveled the peculiarities and flaws of our own bodies in light of evo– devo research (Held 2009). In How the Snake Lost its Legs, Held directly delves into animal diversity to shed light on the remarkable or bizarre features of our metazoan cousins. The main text (156 pages) can be covered in a few hours or left on the coffee table for occasional small bites. The diagrams and color plates used to illustrate the book are eye-candy and potential teaching material. The lifespan of the book is extended by an up-to-date and certainly impressive bibliography of 2526 references. Held’s scientific curiosity is sizeable in the breadth of studies included here, infusing the dimensions of a landscape view to his essay. Overall, this format makes the book accessible to any reader interested in evolutionary biology while also satisfying the more expert “evo–devotees”willing to explore the depicted topics in depth.