Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #193903 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07-29
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Hardcover
• 2015 pages

Synopsis
A reference to mammals, providing an account of every genus of mammal in all of historical time. This sixth edition has increased the number of specific genera by 75 - among these, there are three remarkable, large ungulates discovered in the forests of Indochina. There is also a new account of the woolly mammoth, now thought to have survived until less than 4000 years ago. Each section of the book describes one genus and includes facts such as scientific and common names, the number and distribution of species, measurements and physical traits, habitat, locomotion, daily and seasonal activity, population dynamics, home range, social life, reproduction and longevity. As in the last two editions, the names and distributions of every species of every genus are listed in systematic order. There is also new information on fur harvests, numbers in the wild and in captivity, and conservation status. This edition records all official classifications of every mammal species and subspecies in the 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. There are illustrations of virtually every genus of mammal.

Among them are pictures by wildlife photographers such as Leonard Lee Rue III, David Pye and Warren T. Houck. Mammals pictured include the just-discovered giant muntjac deer of Vietnam, a rodent known only from the Solomon Islands, a large fruit bat whose male suckles the young, and a rare web-footed tenrec of Madagascar.

Customer Reviews

Poor production affects comprehensive coverage
Obviously, this book would deserve more than 3 stars if one looks only at its informational content. But -as the previous reader rightly stressed- the b&w photos are a scandal. They are old, often confused, unreliable as even a broad identification tool (I mean in the classroom, not in the field). Do you -the publisher- absolutely need to save money on colour printing? OK, some fine line drawing are certainly better. Mammology (especially when this reference is compared with its ornithology counterparts) still wait for a well produced systematic companion.

Complete and accurate discussion of all the mammals.
These two volumes provide scientifically accurate information about all the world's mammals, even the most obscure. There are black and white photographs of almost every species, although some of the images are not good quality. Generally the information on each animal covers where it is found, what it eats, social habits, information on mating and rearing young, and a detailed description of size, shape, weight, color, and other physical attributes. The writing is dry and uses a lot of scientific terms. There are extensive bibliographies of the scientific papers used to verify the accuracy of the information; this book is considered one of the best of its kind by scientists who study and work with mammals.