Product Description

As ice retreated from Britain 15,000 years ago, a host of large mammals including reindeer, wild horses, wooly mammoths, moose, wolves, brown bears, lynxes and wolverines established itself in Britain. The largest surviving wild land mammal today, the red deer, the largest contemporary land carnivore, the badger and another 65 or so extant wild mammals included about a quarter of the wild mammals that have been introduced in the last 15,000 years. The contemporary fauna, however, is largely dominated by domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep, pigs and humans. This book explores the fate of the large extinct species, as well as how, why, and when the introduced species appeared.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #426680 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-31
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 312 pages

About the Author
Dr. Yalden has been editor of Mammal Review since 1981, and has written and published hundreds of papers on birds and mammals. He has also studied wildlife in the Peak District and in Ethiopia.

Customer Reviews

A very readable account of man's relationship with mammals
This book tells a fascinating story. You might think that the mammals of the British Isles can be simply divided into indigenous species and those introduced by man, but Derek Yalden shows the story is much more complicated than that. Climate change and human activities have shaped the numbers and distribution of our mammalian species in a complex way. This book sets out to recreate the history of those effects since the last glaciation. This is no coffee table book but a thorough scientific review. The earlier chapters may be a little difficult for those with no scientific knowledge, but he does give brief, but adequate, explanations of techniques such as carbon 14 dating. Activities such as game keeping and hunting are treated objectively and dispassionately, as are potential reintroductions, such as the beaver, the lynx and the wolf. At the same time his enthusiasm for his subject pervades the book. While most information comes from mainland Britain, the individual natural histories of Ireland, Mann, the Scillies and the larger Scottish islands are equally fascinating and often enigmatic. There are encouraging stories, such as the recent recovery of the otter, but also some worrying ones, such as the red squirrel and, more surprisingly, the red deer. My only criticism is that on a few of the maps the different types of shading are difficult to differentiate and one or two have no key to their symbols. This is an excellent book and anyone with an interest in either British mammals, or the relationship between man and animals in general will find it compelling reading.

Everything you ever wanted to know about UK mammals
Seminal. Theres no other word to describe this magnificently-crafted book. Yalden weaves a rich tale, beginning with the mammal fauna of the last ice age, through to the extinctions of big mammals in historical times, and eventually the distribution and conservation of the mammals we see around us today are discussed. The writing style is chatty and informal, and this really is an enjoyable read. This book has something for everyone, whether you are someone purely with an interest in the natural history of the Bristish Isles, or an academic interested in biogeography or mammalogy. A cracking read - buy it.