Reviews (4)

One of my favourites!
While this book is certainly not comprehensive (especially in regards to the rodents and bats), it has hundreds of crisp, clear photos. The descriptions for each species is brief, but there are still many interesting facts to learn from the text.
Excellent Guide for Mammal Enthusiasts
I highly recommend this book as a photo-encyclopedic guide to mammals for children, students and adults who have a general interest in mammals.My review for this book is based on its use as an educational reference guide, not as a guide that one would carry with them out in the field.(It might be suitable for that use, but I am not qualified to review it in that manner.)We use this guide with our son, and I have given it as a gift to children interested in mammals, after looking at all of the top mammal guides listed on Amazon and in Borders.
get them all
these books are the very best if you want accuracy,i plan to have the entire collection of them by years end. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Identification    2. Mammals    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. Reference    6. Nature / Mammals   

Editorial Review

Consider the lynx, a medium-sized cat of boreal regions of North America, "a solitary animal, associated with the opposite sex only during mating." Consider the Oldfield mouse, Read more

Reviews (5)

Field Guide to North American Mammals
From the shrews to the bears, this guide is what one should have in the field. . .especially in Alaska.

Awesome Field Guide
This guide includes all sorts of animals in and around my area.It has a very thorough explanation of the animals and how to identify them.Whats really useful is the pictures.There are several pictures for each species including Summer coat & Winter coat.This is especially helpful if you are out animal watching during different times of year.I love going out exploring and coming home to look up the critters I saw.

The best ..................
These are the BEST field guides we have ever owned.We have the trees, western USA birds, trees and sealife ones and they are a wonderful size and fit easily into a coat pocket or glove compartment of ones car and of course a back pack.They make a GREAT gift and during the Christmas season a great stocking stuffer.Read more

Subjects:  1. Identification    2. Mammals    3. Nature    4. Nature/Ecology    5. North America    6. Nature / Mammals   

Reviews (17)

The Safari Companion
Excellent safari companion showing various animals and describing them, their habitat, etc.Recommended for anyone going on safari.

African animal sighting tips your mother never told you and your father didn't know
This is a book of biblic quality for the uninitiated.I did not appreciate the diversity of the wildlife available in Kenya and Tanzania.Wow, this is worthwhile study guide as a prologue to your journey.

Did not find it that useful in E. Africa
The pictures are black and white drawings.We brought this and the Audubon Society Guide to African Wildlife (or something like that) and we much preferred the Audubon book.It was more compact, had a durable vinyl cover and had color pictures with quick facts on each animal - which is really what you want in the moment on a bumpy safari game drive.I would get the other book instead. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa, Eastern    2. Africa, Southern    3. Behavior    4. Guidebooks    5. Mammals    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Reference    9. Wildlife watching    10. Zoological Gardens   

Reviews (3)

Handy book
As a physical anthropology grad student, I am finding this book to be very useful. The hardcover text is great, but this is transportable and packed with information. Would highly recommend it to anyone in forensics, anthropology.

The Human Bone Manual
this book would be best accompanied by an anatomy book.To really get a good visual, it's a good idea to review muscle attachments and origin sites in a(n additional) book with color.so My biggest criticism (and it's so easy to criticize) is that while many of the bones are pictured the as the actual size, there are not photographs of the bones articulated with neighboring bones.I found it hard to side bones because of this.So, it's a pretty good book in spite of my harshness, just not by itself.

Fantastic guide.
This manual is a somewhat more consise version of Dr. White's Osteology textbook. Excellent for anyone with any need to understand the human skeleton in depth. Clearly and assessibly written and includes fantastic pictures, indexes of directional terms, etc. Used widely on archaeological digs the world over. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Analysis    2. Anatomy    3. Animals    4. Classification    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Human skeleton    7. Identification    8. Life Sciences - Evolution    9. Life Sciences - Human Anatomy & Physiology    10. Mammals    11. Medical    12. Nursing - General    13. Paleontology    14. Science    15. Medical / Osteopathy   

Reviews (14)

Best in its Class
There are few books on animal tracks and tracking that even come close to the quality, validity and credibility of MAMMAL TRACKS...It truly is the best buy for the pages involved.If you want to begin to learn about animal tracks/tracking from a book--then get this one.

Mammal Tracks and Signs - the best
I have been teaching tracking for 30 years and found this to be the best resource yet. Only drawback - it is a bit heavy for backpacking!
Tracking down the best
At last, a thorough *and* readable reference for animal track and sign (including "scat")!Other books we have used have been smaller in scope, actually geared more for elementary age kids in scouting.Although a bit hefty, this tome is a *must* for hikers who want to know what they are seeing on the trail.National and State Park rangers have recommended this book to us, and we finally found it on Amazon!YAY! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animal tracks    2. Animals    3. Identification    4. Mammals    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    9. Zoology & animal sciences   

Editorial Review

The New York-bred journalist and television commentator Shana Alexander, who has written biographies of checkered-career socialites Bess Meyerson, Jean Harris, and Patty Hearst, may seem at first blush to be an unlikely student of Read more

Reviews (4)

Overall informative
I found this book comprehensive and informative. It was also enjoyable to read. Astonishingly Good Book !
Astonishingly good book by a gifted writer. Journalist Shana Alexander recounts her personal experiences with elephants beginning with 'Packy" born at Portland Zoo, and continuing into late 1990's. A Tough Read for Animal Lovers
The Astonishing Elephant by Shana Alexander is educational, well researched and written, and an absorbing book.If you love animals, though, it is heartbreaking to learn how cruel and unfeeling the human animal can be toward our earthmates--the animals.Read more

Subjects:  1. Elephants    2. General    3. Individual Species Of Mammals    4. Mammals    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. History / General    10. Wild animals   

Reviews (6)

Awesome
This books is very informational.I have gotten a lot of information from it and the pictures are fabulous!I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Marine Mammals.My daughter wants to be a Marine Biologist/Marine Mammal Trainer and this book gave her all the right information at the right time.

Much more than expected!
Audubon has certainly delivered their best in this marine life field guide! When I bought this, I expected it to be the usual good Audubon repeat of their previous field guides. I was quite impressed by the number of species inserted, and the special illustrations used along with it. There are a surprising number of families and subspecies listed also. Very informative, but a few minor quibbles
I picked this book up at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago (inspired by the walrus exhibit).It is a very informative guide and beautifully illustrated.Read more

Subjects:  1. Identification    2. Mammals    3. Marine Life    4. Marine Mammals    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Marine & freshwater mammals    8. Nature / Marine Life   

Reviews (2)

cute little leathery mammal guys
The fact that you're reading this review indicates that you already know that bats are good guys, not bad guys. 'Nuff said.
Excellent Bat Book!
Last Christmas I got a Bat Detector (from Bat Conservation International).The instructions with it were very poor so I asked a local naturalist if she knew of any good bat books and specifically any that would indicate what frequency to tune the bat detector in to for our local bats.She recommended this book and its terrific! There's a short section up front that talks about bats and how they echolocate as well as the frequencies that they do it at so this was perfect for me and my bat detector (boy is it cool!).The real meat of the book is an id guide with great pictures and interesting information about each ofthe different species of bats - similar to a bird id book.Since bats are genenerally out at dusk and they fly so fast I haven't been able to make use of the pictures and actually id the bats but I've narrowed it down by where we live and what we're likely to see so its fun to have a reference to read about them more specifically.Excellent excellent book and a must have if you've just gotten a bat detector and need to know what frequency to tune into.Highly recommended! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bats    2. Identification    3. Mammals    4. Mice    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Nature / Mice   

Subjects:  1. Antarctica    2. General    3. Individual Species Of Mammals    4. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    5. Mammals    6. Marine Life    7. Nature    8. Nature / Field Guide Books    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Science    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Seals (Animals)    13. Marine & freshwater mammals    14. Science / Zoology    15. Seals (Animals)--Antarctica   

Reviews (4)

A Good, Bad, and Ugly Field Guide
The Good:
You can't go without it.
This book, referred to by many other authors, is THE guide for this group of Mammals. I found it indispensible for use in the rainforest, even if most mammals are very hard to see. The perfect illustrations, combined with the thorough descriptions and clear distribution maps, make it easy to determine what kind of animal you've seen. Very helpful to understand the local guides are the translations of the names in many tongues.

It's a very practical and well illustrated fieldguide
It's the most usefull book I own related with the mammalfauna proyects ( inventories, education, management ) we are doing in Central and Western Colombia. Every aspect of the text and illustrations has proven to be veryusefull and practical. The taxonomical descriptions are generaly goodenough to clasify the bigger species in the field, and the habit andhabitat descriptions coincide mostly with our own experiences. Thedistributionmaps included in the text are also very usefull. Theillustrations are sometime a little small, but have proven to be easilyrecognized by the local habitants, what is extremely usefull during quickinventaries. The relation price-quality is outstanding ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Environmental Science    2. Environmental Studies    3. Identification    4. Latin America    5. Mammals    6. Rain forest animals    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Zoology    9. Science / Zoology   

Reviews (3)

AnExcellentFieldGuide
After a disappointing look through other mammal field guides, I came across this little gem. Instead of illustrations it uses photos (except for the whales, some illustrations). I almost passed on it because I wasn't used to seeing these kinds of photographs in a field guide: they are digitally edited and have the appearance of being cut out and pasted onto the white pages. However, it soon became clear that the photos are of exceptional quality and could beat out the competetion as far as completeness of subject matter. For example: there are about fifty photos of chipmunks; there are photos of both morphs of the Arctic Fox in summer and winter. Two variations of the blue phase are shown in summer coat. The pups for both colors are included.
The new standard for North American mammal field guides
This is an excellent book and is a worthy addition to the collection of all naturalists, mammalogists, and people interested in nature.Photos don't always work as well as illustrations in field guides but the Kaufman Focus Guides have rectified this situation by digital manipulation of the photos.Some larger species (whales, porpoises, and dolphins) are illustrated but also include photos.In addition to the very good photo images, species accounts appear to be well-detailed and current.One of the strong points of this field guide is that all information for a species is before your eyes; no flipping like in some other mammal field guides.The photo images are on the right side of the page along with common name and weight and measurement (non-metric).On the left side is the common and scientific names, species account, range map, and an illustration of one footprint for most of the larger, terrestrial mammals.The species accounts includes information on differentiating between similar species.Many species have multiple photos which is helpful and the young of many larger mammals are depicted.The worst of the photos (such as Alaska Marmot and Alpine Chipmunk) are still good but only consist of one image each.In my opinion, this is the new mammal field guide standard.

A wonderful field guide
A brief jargon filled synopis:Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Identification    3. Mammals    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. North America    7. Nature / Mammals   

Reviews (12)

Lighthearted, Cowgazing fun.
A nice little book for those of us city dwellers who admire cows, but know little about them. A nice place to begin. One of the most pleasant afternoons I spent recently was sitting with a herd of cows listening to them as they cropped the grass--very soothing and relaxing. Call me crazy....

Big Disappointment
If you are looking for a cutesy book you won't be disappointed.If you are looking for information on identifying cattle of various breeds accurately - keep looking.This book has a cut out mask that you can hold in front of your face so you can moo at cows over the fence.There are no photographs of cows or anything else.Black and white sketches only.Buyer beware!!!

Light-hearted approach to bovine identification
Finding this book has rekindled my interest in the bovine species, and has allowed me to develop a better general understanding of bovine behaviour and the origins and development of the species common to North America.The light-hearted approach makes the book all the more fun and accessable.My only complaint is that the book consists of illustrations; although they are undeniably good, I would have much preferred color photos.Nevertheless a great book for a child with a budding interest in cattle, or the city slicker who wants to know what that cow that doesn't look like a Holstein is called. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Animal Husbandry    2. Animals    3. Canada    4. Cattle    5. General    6. Identification    7. Mammals    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Pictorial works    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. United States    13. Farm & working animals    14. Nature / Animals    15. Reference works    16. USA   

Reviews (2)

Excellent guide
I found this to be a superb reference in identifying random bones I've found in the woods. I *like* the simple line drawings--they show the basic shape of the bones nicely--you know exactly what it is you're looking for. I highly recommend it!

Beginner's guide to mammal bones
I purchased this book because at the time there were nobetter books available on the subject. The illustrations are simple line drawings and lack detail. For a book based on identification, I feel this is a majorflaw.It can be used for basic classification of the more common mammals,but if you're looking for something with detail, look elsewhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bones    2. Identification    3. Mammalian Physiology    4. Mammals    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. North America    8. Skeleton    9. Animal physiology   

Reviews (7)

About the Best Currently, but Could Be Improved
First let me say that in general I find this book excellent, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the mammalian fauna of Africa.
Outstanding Guide
This guide book is simply one of the best regional mammal guide books in existance. As well as providing good descriptions of the mammals, it looks at them in the context of their evolutionary history. It does contain a few errors, as is to be expected in a book of this scope. For example, servals are reported from Egypt, where, as far as I am aware, they have not been recorded in historic times. Overall, however, the book is outstanding.I used it throughout a 14-month trip to Africa and it never let me down.

A very useful guide with many lovely illustrations
This is a great reference for animals, the guide may not be as thorough as some, but in my opinion, it's thorough enough for the average person..and then some. It has detailed information on the animals it lists, and goes beyond many field guides in this respect. I definitely recommend this book for someone who wants a useful book, loaded with well-drawn color pictures. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Identification    3. Mammals    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Pictorial works    7. Wildlife    8. Biological Sciences    9. Birds and Natural History    10. Nature / Mammals   

Editorial Review

Pink dolphins--and yes, in the Amazon River the flamingo-colored mammals do exist--are believed by Brazilians and Peruvians to take human form, impregnate women, lure lovers to an underwater paradise, and in various ways drive those who encounter them mad. They seem to have worked their magic on science writer Sy Montgomery, who journeys through rain forests and sunken cities in a mad-dash pursuit of the enigmatic creatures. Read more

Reviews (22)

Fascinating but Frustrating
As someone who's interested in the Amazon, its people, culture, geography, fauna, flora and other subjects, I read this book for its fascinating topic.However, this is a very mixed bag.There are moving sections, as when she describes the genocide perpetrated against the native peoples by Europeans (you would not believe the atrocities and torture they visited the Indians, whom they considered lower than animals - much worse in its ferocity than the Holocaust of WWII).The writing can be quite bad at times (at one point, her powers of description comes up with a fruit she tried, "bitter as semen").But the worse is, she seems to be a very bad science writer and researcher.Who edited this book?Certainly not people versed in science or Portuguese.She gets everything in Portuguese wrong.The scientific names and terms are often misspelled.Proceed with caution.

enchanting travelogue and work of natural history
I loved this book! Sy Montgomery is a talented writer, able to put you in exotic places with vivid descriptions, I almost felt I was in the Amazon. She really brought it to life, I look forward to reading another book of hers I have purchased, "Search for the Golden Moon Bear." Amazonian vacation
This is one of those books to read when you don't have the money and/or time to actually travel the planet.I enjoyed that Sy both had a grasp of biology and is a truly talented author.She also obviously cares about the socioeconomic situation of the peoples who live in the area that her biological studies took her.This book transports you into a magical world in which pink dolphins inhabit rivers in a mystical jungle.Sometimes the truth is better than fiction. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amazon River Region    2. Animals    3. Boto    4. Description and travel    5. Latin America - South America    6. Mammals    7. Marine Life    8. Nature    9. Nature / Field Guide Books    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Nature / Animals   

Reviews (2)

Wow, what a great find
I recently aquired this book and inside, you'll find a sintilating selection of latin names and meanings of all the animals you study and love.Things that make common sense and others that will blow your mind.Things that you have to memorize for classes become easy when you read their meanings and roots.Excellent for trying to remember the scientific names of all animals.From parrots to lizards to gerbils, you'll find it all here.Big book!

A Plethora of Information for Anyone in Love with Zoology
I first saw this book in my high school library about 2 years ago.Assoon as I laid eyes on it, I knew that I had to get it.Now a sophomore incollege, for as long as I can remember, Zoology for me was the mostinteresting thing to study.But there was always this obstacle of notbeing able to fully participate in the "-ology" of the"zoa," if you will, due to me not understanding most of the Latinlanguage.One thing I will say about this book, is that not only does itremove this hinderance, but it also showed me how many english words havetheir roots in Latin, the most common ones in my opinion being dent=teeth,pod=foot and derm=skin.Anyway, I can go on forever, but I'll stop here.If you are interested in Animals, this book is definitely for you!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds    2. General    3. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    4. Mammals    5. Nature    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Nomenclature    8. Reference    9. Reptiles    10. Science    11. Taxonomic Zoology    12. Vertebrates    13. Taxonomy & systematics    14. Zoology & animal sciences   

Reviews (3)

Perfectly titled; incorrectly sub-titled.
The title of this book is accurate; it's subtitle is not.Literally 80% of the pages in this book are near-clinical descriptions of shark attack cases around the world, separated into chapters by geography.While it's mentioned in various spots before then, the last 15 pages finally truly discuss "their causes and avoidance."
shark
if you would like to knowwhy shark bites people this book will make you understanding shark in away you know shark are intersseting aimmals Great Information.....
This is truly a good book for anyone interested about sharks and why they attack. The book gives an almost comprehensive view of attacks from around the world. It even gives a synopsis on the sharks that seem to attack people the most. I would recomend this for anyone who is just curious about sharks, or anyone who is interested in attacks by sharks specifically. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fish    2. Marine Life    3. Nature    4. Nature / Field Guide Books    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Safety    7. Shark attacks    8. Nature / Mammals   

Reviews (6)

Field Guide
The Guide was a gift for my wife. She enjoys sitting on our deck and observing the different wild life in our back property. She is enjoying the book immensely.

Great field guide
I have bought many field guides and petersons are the easiest to use, my wife and kids love them and get plenty of use of them.

Eh...
This is a good guide to be used in conjunction with the Kays and Wilson guide (a much more recent and complete book). It has not been updated in quite some time, but the information should not be dismissed. It works, but should not be your only mammal field guide. You will be disappointed if it is. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Canada    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Identification    5. Mammals    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. United States    9. Nature / Mammals    10. Wild animals   

Reviews (5)

Great in-depth quick reference handbook
I work on a whale watch boat in Kona, Hawaii and this book has been extremely helpful in my work. It is an excellent handbook on these mammals, a great in-depth introduction book for beginners and a great concise reference book for veterans as well. Very well made and designed with some photos and excellent illustrations. Very easy to navigate through the info and select what you need to know and refer back to it.
A WONDERFUL ADDITION FOR ANY NATURE REFERENCE LIBRARY
This book is breathtaking. I had no idea there were 80 or more species of Cetaceans! While I may never have the opportunity to see any of these wonderful animals alive except in captivity, this book is a wonderful addition to my nature reference library. It is fascinating to read, and even scientists have not seen all of these cetaceans alive (some have been named by skeletal remains), or if they have reported seeing them alive, have possible doubts about the exact species observed. I will read this book over and over just because it is so fascinating. Beautifully illustrated, including maps of the individual species ranges. It also has an exact format, page to page, with clear, concise identification keys. Population numbers are shown where known, threats, habits, diet and habitat are also in a keyed format for each species represented. A wonderful book for anyone nature lovers, and especially good for children because so much information is provided about dwindling populations due to various types of assaults made on either the animals or their habitats by people. Even children who may not be able to clearly understand all of the text will find the pictures and the text that they can understand to be very enjoyable and educational. It is a book that most anyone will reach for again and again through the years!

The field bible on marine mammals
This book is universally recognised in the whale conservation world as the best of all field guides to whales, dolphins and porpoises. It has no peer for accuracy of information, and the drawings of species are the most reliable you can find. The organisation I am with, the Whale and Seal Foundation, gives a copy to every student in our marine mammal rescue workshop where we train government agencies and carer groups in whale rescue including species identification. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cetacea    2. Identification    3. Mammals    4. Marine Life    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Whales    8. Nature / Marine Life   

Editorial Review

When naturalist Kilham was asked to take in two orphaned black bear cubs, the conventional wisdom was that he would end up with 200-pound brutes too dependent to leave home. So Kilham decided to try his own unconventional method--he raised them in their natural habitat, surrounded by the wild bear-filled woods of New Hampshire. As their bear mother, he was given an unprecedented look into the lives of bears and what he observed turns bear stereotypes on their head. Black bears exhibit behaviors thought to be found only in humans and great apes, such as an intricate system of communication and cooperation, insight, planning, deception, and even ethics, like fair play, empathy, and altruism (qualities not found in apes). Kilham, who has now raised 26 cubs, is an intrepid bear mom, and a humble and delightful storyteller. This is an irresistible story of some of the most endearing rogues ever encountered. Read more

Reviews (8)

Among the Bears: Raising Orphaned Cubs in the Wild
I'm only half way through the book but I can tell you it is difficult to put down. As a wildlife Rehabilitator I find Benjamin Kilham's book informative yet fun to read.

Black Bears are great
I just finished reading Among the Bears and I think Benjamin did a great job at describing the bears body language, and his explenation of what their sounds and gestures meant are superb,,,I have seen a lot of bears in the last 40 years and have seen several of these gestures..This book starts out a little slow but soon picks up and then Icould not stop reading, This book does tell it like it really is in thebears world good and bad

Benjamin Kilham is a complete idiot - He actually supports bear hunting!!!
I've never been more disappointed in a book and I think this is the first book I've ever actually returned.I didn't want this man to get a single penny from me.My concerns were immediately raised when I read that he was a gunmaker and when he made the comment "I reached out to poke the radio on to a country western station.I like to listen to songs with lyrics I can understand".So I immediately look up bear hunting in the index and am soon horrified to read that he supports hunting and even bear hunting and tries to justify it as a valid wildlife management technique!How he could ever raise cubs and yet still support murdering them for fun is beyond me.Torturing and/or killing animals for pleasure is a classic sign of being a sociopath.So if you love wildlife and bears like I do and if you're an intelligent person then you will avoid this book like the plaque.If you want to read an amazing book about bears and two amazing people then get "Grizzly Heart" by Charlie Russel and Maureen Enns.Unfortunately, for some reason this book isn't yet available in the US and you must order it from Canada but its worth the extra trouble. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Bears    3. Behavior    4. Black bear    5. Black bears    6. Kilham, Benjamin    7. Mammals    8. Nature    9. Nature / Field Guide Books    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Wild animals    12. Zoology & animal sciences