The ability of small mammals to exploit environmental resources, based upon a rapid adaptation to short-term changes in population and/or the environment, as well as to a variety of local conditions, implies a strong impact upon natural resources. The role played by small mammal consumers in the flow of energy within natural and man-modified ecosystems is therefore of equal importance to that of larger, longer-lived species which have been studied more intensively. This volume, first published in 1975, looks at small mammal populations with emphasis being placed on their ecology and energy dynamics. It discusses the most productive research techniques and research objectives. The second part of the book deals with the roles of small mammals in ecosystems ranging from the tropics to the tundra and special consideration is given to the impact of rodents on man. Research workers in the fields of mammalogy and ecology will find this an essential book and agriculturists, foresters and anyone concerned professionally with the control of small mammals will find much that is of value to their work.

Comparative Physiology: Primitive Mammals attempts to dispel the widely held notion that 'primitive' animals are less advanced or less complex than the 'non-primitive'. The term 'primitive', or more accurately 'conservative', refers to the fact that these animals have retained many of the characteristics of their evolutionary ancestors. Because they have been able to adapt to a variety of environmental conditions, these so-called primitive animals should be considered highly successful evolutionary solutions. The papers contained in this volume are the result of the Fourth International Conference on Comparative Physiology held at Crans-sur-Sierre in 1978. The conference, which was sponsored by the Interunion Commission on Comparative Physiology representing the International Unions of Biological Sciences, Physiological Sciences, and Pure and Applied Biophysics, brought together scientists from various fields to discuss the widely scattered information on primitive mammals from the perspective of comparative physiology.

The introduction earlier this century of Norwegian reindeer to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia provided scientists with the unusual opportunity of studying the interaction between a large arctic herbivore and a southern ecosystem that had not previously been exposed to grazing by mammals. Originally published in 1988, this book synthesises the results of many years' research into this fascinating ecological situation. The author develops the observations into two main themes. First, a comparative study of the biology and ecology of a deer that occurs in a wide variety of Arctic habitats. Secondly, an investigation into the ways in which an introduced population adapts to a new environment, its relevance to the population ecology of mammals and to the conservation of southern island ecosystems. In doing this, the author discusses many topics including reproductive biology, feeding ecology, growth, mortality and population dynamics. This in-depth study of a single species in an alien environment will appeal to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, research workers in wildlife management and ecology, conservationists and polar scientists

The careful explanation of each step of the dissection, helpful diagrams and illustrations, and detailed discussion of the structure and function of each system in "Anatomy and Dissection of the Fetal Pig, Fifth Edition, " optimize the educational value of the dissection process. These laboratory exercises are sold separately or as a bound set. This popular series, which includes "Anatomy and Dissection of the Rat" and "Anatomy and Dissection of the Frog" is geared toward introductory courses in biology and comparative anatomy.
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Rodents are the predominant experimental animals found in life-sciences research laboratories. The body temperature of a rodent is markedly affected by surgical, chemical or environmental manipulation. Because temperature regulation is controlled essentially by a 'holistic' regulatory system, meaning that its responses affect the activities of all other psychological and behavioural processes, it is clear that researchers working with rodents must be familiar with thermoregulatory physiology. With the help of extensive data tables and figures, this book explains the key facets of rodent thermal physiology, including neurological control and gender and intraspecies variations. There is a novel chapter on the effects of trauma, toxic chemicals and other factors. The book should therefore find use in government, academic or industrial laboratories whose researchers are working with rodents.

The most commonly kept domestic animal in the developed world, the cat has been a part of human life for thousands of years. Cats have been both worshipped and persecuted over this long period - either loved or hated for their enigmatic self-reliance and the subject of numerous myths and fables. Highlighting startling discoveries made over the last ten years, this new edition features contributions from experts in a wide range of fields, providing authoritative accounts of the behaviour of cats and how they interact with people. Thoroughly revised and updated to include information on the basic features of cat development and social life, the history of their relations with humans, health and welfare problems, and the breeding of cats for sale and for show. It is intended for all those, whether specialist or general reader, who love or are simply intrigued by these fascinating animals.

In nature, the ability to defend against predators is fundamental to an animal's survival. From the giraffes that rely on their spotted coats to blend into the patchy light of their woodland habitats to the South American sea lions that pile themselves in heaps to ward off the killer whales that prey on them in the shallow surf, defense strategies in the animal kingdom are seemingly innumerable.
In "Antipredator Defenses in Birds and Mammals," Tim Caro ambitiously synthesizes predator defenses in birds and mammals and integrates all functional and evolutionary perspectives on antipredator defenses that have developed over the last century. Structured chronologically along a hypothetical sequence of predation--Caro evokes a gazelle fawn desperate to survive a cheetah attack to illustrate the continuum of the evolution of antipredator defenses--"Antipredator Defenses in Birds and Mammals" considers the defenses that prey use to avoid detection by predators; the benefits of living in groups; morphological and behavioral defenses in individuals and groups; and, finally, flight and adaptations of last resort.
"Antipredator Defenses in Birds and Mammals" will be of interest to both specialists and general readers interested in ecological issues.

This second volume completes the unique survey of North American Tertiary mammals, and covers all the remaining taxa not contained in Volume 1. It provides a complete listing of mammalian diversity over time and space, and evaluates the effect of biogeography and climatic change on evolutionary patterns and faunal transitions, with the distribution in time and space of each taxon laid out in a standardized format. It contains six summary chapters that integrate systematic and biogeographic information for higher taxa, and provides a detailed account of the patterns of occurrence for different species at hundreds of different fossil localities, with the inclusion of many more localities than were contained in the first volume. With over thirty chapters, each written by leading authorities, and an addendum that updates the occurrence and systematics of all of the groups covered in Volume 1, this will be a valuable reference for paleontologists and zoologists.

There is little doubt that the vertebrate brain is the most complex structure we know. As with any complex structure, there is the immediate question about its origins. How could such a complex design develop from the simplest multicellular animals? This problem has pervaded the study of evolutionary biology since its beginnings. Although Darwin (1859, 1871) proposed an impecable mechanism (natural selection) for the gradual transformation of species including human origins, even he sometimes expressed certain doubts about the origin of highly complex structures. This issue has been highly debated both within science and outside it.

The authors follow an approach that has been termed "developmental evolutionary genetics," which seeks to establish a correspondence between embryological processes and the phylogenetic history of an organism. Modern understanding of these hypotheses acknowledges that in fact, early embryos are readily distinguishable among them, and that human embryos are human embryos during all development; they do not pass from a jellyfish stage to a fish stage and so on (Garstang 1922; Gould 1977; Richardson et al. 1997). However, it is also recognized that embryos pass through successive stages in which they acquire the characters proper to each of the nested phylogenetic categories to which they belong. Thus, there is a general concordance between embryonic stages and the phylogenetic history.

Cooperative breeding refers to a social system in which individuals other than the parents provide care for the offspring. Since individuals delay breeding and invest in the offspring of others, cooperative breeding poses a challenge to a Darwinian explanation of the evolution of social behaviour. The contributors to this book explore the evolutionary, ecological, behavioural and physiological basis of cooperative breeding in mammals. The book contains a collection of chapters by the leading researchers in the field, and it is dedicated exclusively to the study of mammalian cooperative breeding. It will appeal to zoologists, ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and to those interested in animal behaviour.

Genomics has experienced a dramatic development during the last 15-20 years. Data from mammalian genomes such as the human, mouse and rat have already been published, while others such as the dog, cattle and chimpanzee will soon follow. This book summarizes the current knowledge of mammalian genomics and offers a comparative analysis of genomes known today. This analysis includes farm, companion and lab animals. Topics covered include structural and functional aspects of the mammalian genome, mechanisms of genomic changes at the molecular level, evolution of DNA sequences, comparative chromosome mapping and painting, genome databases, gene prediction and the use of genomic information to understand inherited diseases. Contributors include leading researchers from Europe, USA, Australia and Japan.

Field naturalists have observed the activities of weasels for centuries. Their descriptions were often accurate but sometimes misinterpreted the animals' behaviors and underlying explanations for those behaviors. "Organized natural history" became one of the roots of the science of ecology in the 1920s and by the 1960s scientists had begun to study the biology of weasels with all the critical, objective advantages of modern theory and equipment. Until the first edition of this book appeared in 1989 no one had attempted to explain these results to non-specialist naturalists. Now thoroughly revised, this book will continue to be the main one-stop reference for professionals. But both kinds of knowledge are brought together here-- observations for the traditional naturalist and rigorous measurements and interpretations for modern scientists, integrated into a single, readable account.
This new edition provides a comprehensive summary of the extensive advances over the last 15 years in our knowledge of these fascinating animals. A new U.S.-based co-author reshapes the content to be more U.S.-centric. Stories about North America trappers and backwoodsmen interacting with weasels replace some (not all) of the previous stories about English gamekeepers. These changes permeate the book, so readers familiar with the first edition will recognize some material, but will find a lot that is new. Much less reliable European information quoted in the first edition was there at the time when no better information was available. Now a new NZ chapter focuses on predation problems of the species introduced to that country. This edition, much more than a simple update, is now truly an internationaltreatment and a more valuable resource.

Of the forty mammal species known to have vanished in the world in the last 200 years, almost half have been Australian. Our continent has the worst record of mammal extinctions, with over 65 mammal species having vanished in the last 50 000 years. It began with the great wave of megafauna extinctions in the last ice-age, and continues today, with many mammal species vulnerable to extinction. The question of why mammals became extinct, and why so many became extinct in Australia has been debated by experts for over a century and a half and we are no closer to agreement on the causes. This book introduces readers to the great mammal extinction debate. Chris Johnson takes us on a detective-like tour of these extinctions, uncovering how, why and when they occurred.

Of the forty mammal species known to have vanished in the world in the last 200 years, almost half have been Australian. Our continent has the worst record of mammal extinctions, with over 65 mammal species having vanished in the last 50 000 years. It began with the great wave of megafauna extinctions in the last ice-age, and continues today, with many mammal species vulnerable to extinction. The question of why mammals became extinct, and why so many became extinct in Australia has been debated by experts for over a century and a half and we are no closer to agreement on the causes. This book introduces readers to the great mammal extinction debate. Chris Johnson takes us on a detective-like tour of these extinctions, uncovering how, why and when they occurred.

Probably no extinct mammal can be studied in more detail, from a fuller fossil record, than the Cave Bear, Ursius Spelaeus. In his delightful, award-winning portrait, renowned finnish paleontologist Bjorn Kurten takes readers on a tour of cave bear life in the ice age. The Cave Bear story conveys the facts about these largest of bears, including the habits and society of Cave Bears, their ice age environment, biological variations, and extinction. Kurten also details the relationship between man and bear - namely, the theories surrounding bear-hunting and Cave Bear cults. Complete with brilliant illustrations by Margaret Lambert Newman that show restoration scenes of the ice age and its vanished animals, the Cave Bear story not only represents the authoritative work of an eminent paleontologist but remains accessible to any reader with an interest in the rich prehistory of our planet.

There is a growing interest in the biological implications of body size in animals. This parameter is now being used to make inferences and predictions about not only the habits and habitat of a particular species, but also as a way to understand patterns and biases in the fossil record. This valuable collection of essays presents and evaluates techniques of body-mass estimation and reviews current and potential applications of body-size estimates in paleobiology. Coverage is particularly detailed for carnivores, primates and ungulates, but information is also presented on marsupials, rodents and proboscideans. Body Size in Mammalian Paleobiology will prove useful to researchers and graduate students in paleontology, mammalogy, ecology and evolution programmes. It is designed to be both a practical handbook for researchers making and using body-size estimates, and a sourcebook of ideas for applying body size to paleontological problems and directions for future research.

The family Rhinocerotidae has a long and amazing history in North America. From their first appearance about forty million years ago, they diversified into an incredible array of taxa, with a variety of ecologies that do not resemble any of the five living species. They ranged from delicate long-legged dog-sized forms, to huge hippo-like forms that apparently lived in rivers and lakes. This book includes a systematic review of the entire North American Rhinocerotidae, with complete descriptions, measurements, and figures of every bone in every species - the first such review in over a century. More importantly, it discusses the biogeographic patterns of rhinos, their evolutionary patterns and paleoecology, and what rhinos tell us about the evolution of North American landscapes and faunas over 35 million years. It is a complete and authoritative volume that will be a reference of interest to a variety of scientists for years to come.

This is a definitive book on the dog family, dealing with many aspects of the biology and conservation of wolves, dogs, jackals and foxes. It covers many topics relevant to modern conservation science, and features detailed case studies of many canid species across the globe. A must-have book for all scientists studying carnivores, predators, cooperative breeding, and social systems. A useful text for both undergraduate and graduate courses in behavioural ecology and conservation biology. Wild canids are the ancestors of the domestic dog and there are a large number of wolf and domestic dog enthusiasts who will be engaged by the contents of this book.

Mammalian hair has always had a use in human society: as fur for clothing, in the production of cloth, or in the production of brushes. Scientists, too, make use of mammalian hair as a diagnostic tool in areas such as animal ecology, wildlife biology, and nature management. The identification of hairs found in the field, in the intestine or feces of carnivores, or in the pellets of birds of prey, can yield valuable information on the distribution of mammals and the diet of their predators. With photographs and keys, this atlas aids correct identification by providing data on the color, form, and length of hair and the structure of the cuticula, medulla, and cross-sections.

Beginning in 1984, Eric Dinerstein led a team directly responsible for the recovery of the greater one-horned rhinoceros in the Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal, where the population had once declined to as few as 100 rhinos. The Return of the Unicorns is an account of what it takes to save endangered large mammals. In its pages, Dinerstein outlines the multifaceted recovery program-structured around targeted fieldwork and scientific research, effective protective measures, habitat planning and management, public-awareness campaigns, economic incentives to promote local guardianship, and bold, uncompromising leadership-that brought these extraordinary animals back from the brink of extinction. In an age when scientists must also become politicians, educators, fund-raisers, and activists to safeguard the subjects that they study, Dinerstein's inspiring story offers a successful model for large-mammal conservation that can be applied throughout Asia and across the globe.

Since the release of the documentary Blackfish in 2013, millions around the world have focused on the plight of the orca, the most profitable and controversial display animal in history. Yet, until now, no historical account has explained how we came to care about killer whales in the first place. Drawing on interviews, official records, private archives, and his own family history, Jason M. Colby tells the exhilarating and often heartbreaking story of how people came to love the ocean's greatest predator. Historically reviled as dangerous pests, killer whales were dying by the hundreds, even thousands, by the 1950s-the victims of whalers, fishermen, and even the US military. In the Pacific Northwest, fishermen shot them, scientists harpooned them, and the Canadian government mounted a machine gun to eliminate them. But that all changed in 1965, when Seattle entrepreneur Ted Griffin became the first person to swim and perform with a captive killer whale. The show proved wildly popular, and he began capturing and selling others, including Sea World's first Shamu. Over the following decade, live display transformed views of Orcinus orca. The public embraced killer whales as charismatic and friendly, while scientists enjoyed their first access to live orcas. In the Pacific Northwest, these captive encounters reshaped regional values and helped drive environmental activism, including Greenpeace's anti-whaling campaigns. Yet even as Northwesterners taught the world to love whales, they came to oppose their captivity and to fight for the freedom of a marine predator that had become a regional icon. This is the definitive history of how the feared and despised "killer" became the beloved "orca"-and what that has meant for our relationship with the ocean and its creatures.

African mole-rats are a unique taxon of subterranean rodents that range in sociality from solitary-dwelling species to two "eusocial" species, the Damaraland mole-rat and the naked mole-rat. The naked mole-rat is arguably the closest that a mammal comes to behaving like social insects such as bees and termites, with large colonies and a behavioral and reproductive division of labor. As a family, the Bathyergidae represent a model system with which to study the evolution and maintenance of highly social cooperative breeding strategies. In this book, Nigel Bennett and Chris Faulkes provide a synthesis of the current knowledge of bathyergid systematics, ecology, reproductive biology, behavior, and genetics. They explore the role of these factors in the evolution of sociality in the Bathyergidae in the context of both vertebrates and invertebrates. This volume will be an important new resource for anyone interested in the evolution of sociality, specifically in mole-rats.

In this unique book, Sir Donald Harrison draws on his wide-ranging experience as a surgeon and comparative anatomist to produce an authoritative and detailed account of the anatomy and physiology of the mammalian larynx. His investigation of the larynx has involved the study of over 1400 specimens of mammalian larynges from around the world, as well as using data from his own clinical experiences. The comparative morphology of the larynx is discussed from a developmental and functional perspective and the involvement of the larynx in respiration, locomotion and vocalisation is highlighted. Throughout the book the relationship of structure to function is drawn out and the clinical relevance of features of the human larynx is emphasised. This book will be an invaluable reference for all researchers and clinicians involved in laryngology as well as for anatomists, zoologists and anaesthesiologists.

This examination of a depopulated species, the North American bison, provides insights into the past and present behaviour and ecology of what was once the continent's largest terrestrial mammal. The authors' research, conducted over a five-year period, attempts to resolve such questions as: what happens when only a small proportion of the male of a species mate?; why do animals in particular areas experience morphological malformations?; and how much genetic diversity has been lost since the 19th century? The study also discusses the consequences of mating failures, lineage differences in growth and birth synchrony. It explores behavioural ecology, mate choice, the conservation of ecosystems and the management of endangered species.