This comprehensive handbook presents for the first time all 51 bat species that occur across Europe and Northwest Africa, taking in to account recent taxonomic advances and new species descriptions from over the last few years. Extensive introductory chapters reveal the remarkable biology of bats and explore the latest findings in bat evolution and echolocation. The in-depth species accounts cover life history, conservation status and identification. Distribution maps accompany illustrations comprise of beautifully detailed diagrams and over 400 breathtaking colour photographs. This unique reference is an authoritative guide suitable for all bat enthusiasts, whether they are beginners, students, professionals or conservationists.

This book represents the results of a comprehensive study of the ecological processes of the central Yellowstone ecosystem carried out over the past 15 years by an integrated team of scientists and graduate students. It provides an authoritative work on the mechanisms underlying the spatial and temporal dynamics of large mammal predator-prey systems in natural ecosystems, and is directed to the scientific community, resource managers, policy makers and the interested public alike.
This area includes the range of one of the largest migratory populations of elk in North America and for the past century it has been at the heart of public debates over population regulation of large herbivores and ungulates and their impact on ecological processes. Since the reintroduction of wolves into the system a decade ago the scientific and public controversy has shifted to debates about the impacts of large predators on their ungulate prey and potential predator-induced trophic cascades.
A part of central Yellowstone comprises the range of the large (2000-3500) migratory bison herd that summers in the high-elevation valleys in east-central Yellowstone, and winters along the headwaters of the Madison River to the west. This unique and diverse area of the Park and the opportunity it presents for studying ecological processes in a large pristine landscape has previously been largely ignored until this study.
The Editors vision is to build an integrated and multidisciplinary research program dedicated to: (1) producing objective science with the goal of advancing our knowledge of the central Yellowstone ecosystem; (2) supporting sound natural resource management, and (3) communicating theirknowledge and discoveries to the visiting public to enhance their experience and enjoyment of the Park. They have developed a small and tight-knit team of scientists with complementary skills and expertise.
Although there is ever-increasing discussion within the ecological community on the need to develop long-term, integrated and interdisciplinary research programs examples of such programs are relatively rare. The proposed book, synthesizing numerous projects will have very broad appeal not only to academic ecologists, but also to natural resource managers, policy makers, biologists, and administrators.
* Unrivalled description of a classic and world famous ecosystem, involving information from a 15 year integrated and multidisciplinary study by numerous scientists.
* Detailed analysis and comparison of two charismatic North American herbivore species - Elk and Bison
* Detailed description of the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park - and their ecology and impact on the herbivores and ecosystem in general.
* A whole ecosystem view, putting the biology, ecology, management and human dimensions into context.
* Numerous colour photographs

A stunning visual collection of the banded metaphase chromosome karyotypes from some 850 species of mammals, the Atlas of Mammalian Chromosomes represents an unabridged compendium of the state of this genomic art form. Bringing together information currently scattered throughout the cytogenetics literature for scores of published and unpublished species, this atlas features high-quality karyotype images for nearly every mammal studied to date, making it the most comprehensive assemblage of high-resolution chromosome photographs available--a critically invaluable resource for today's comparative genomics era.

For every available species, the Atlas of Mammalian Chromosomes presents the best karyotype produced, the common and Latin name of the species, the published citation, and the contributing authors. Most karyotypes are G-banded, revealing the chromosomal bar codes of homologous segments among related species.

Addressing the mandate of the Human Genome Project to annotate the genomes of other organisms as well, the Atlas of Mammalian Chromosomes offers a step forward in our understanding of species formation, of genome organization, and of DNA script for natural selection. It is an invaluable resource for geneticists, mammalogists, and biologists interested in comparative genomics, systematics, and chromosome structure.

A provocative history of wolves in America and of the humans who first destroyed them and now offer them protection "A shocking cultural study of our long, sadistic crusade against wolves. Moving brilliantly through history, economics, and biology, Coleman...explains America's fevered obsession with these animals."-Ron Charles, Washington Post Book Club Over a continent and three centuries, American livestock owners destroyed wolves to protect the beasts that supplied them with food, clothing, mobility, and wealth. The brutality of the campaign soon exceeded wolves' misdeeds. Wolves menaced property, not people, but storytellers often depicted the animals as ravenous threats to human safety. Subjects of nightmares and legends, wolves fell prey not only to Americans' thirst for land and resources but also to their deeper anxieties about the untamed frontier. Now Americans study and protect wolves and jail hunters who shoot them without authorization. Wolves have become the poster beasts of the great American wilderness, and the federal government has paid millions of dollars to reintroduce them to scenic habitats like Yellowstone National Park. Why did Americans hate wolves for centuries? And, given the ferocity of this loathing, why are Americans now so protective of the animals? In this ambitious history of wolves in America-and of the humans who have hated and then loved them-Jon Coleman investigates a fraught relationship between two species and uncovers striking similarities, deadly differences, and, all too frequently, tragic misunderstanding.

Since 2001, when the previous edition of this award-winning encyclopedia was published, new advances in molecular evolution and changes in how scientists view the classification of mammals resulted in a restructuring of the older classification system. This new approach means that certain animals, such as moles, shrews, and insectivores, are now reclassed based on molecular and other biological evidence that has been collected over the last five years. In three comprehensive, beautifully illustrated volumes, ""The Encyclopedia of Mammals, Second Edition"" brings the extensive research on this topic up to date as it reflects the latest thinking on mammalian evolution. All information in this set has been reviewed, updated, and expanded from the first edition, including six new special feature sections and an abundance of full-color photographs and illustrations. With the emergence of new archaeological evidence, the discussion of the age and evolution of man has been reopened, and this set addresses the role and development of mammalian evolution in the 21st century. Written by a team of advisory editors and some of the world's leading biologists, ""The Encyclopedia of Mammals, Second Edition"" remains unparalleled in scope and authority. New features include: current information on various threats to endangered species during the 21st century; two new essays covering recent developments in mammalian conservation; a completely new essay in the Primates section on the evolution of hominids; and a featured essay on man as a single species.

Perhaps nudged over the evolutionary cliff by a giant boloid striking the earth, the incredible and fascinating group of animals called dinosaurs became extinct some 65 million years ago (except for their feathered descendants). In their place evolved an enormous variety of land creatures, especially the mammals, which in their way were every bit as remarkable as their Mesozoic cousins.

The Age of Mammals, the Cenozoic Era, has never had its Jurassic Park, but it was an amazing time in earth s history, populated by a wonderful assortment of bizarre animals. The rapid evolution of thousands of species of mammals brought forth gigantic hornless rhinos, sabertooth cats, mastodonts and mammoths, and many other creatures including our own ancestors.

Their story is part of a larger story of a world emerging from the greenhouse conditions of the Mesozoic, warming up dramatically about 55 million years ago, and then cooling rapidly so that 33 million years ago the glacial ice returned. The earth s vegetation went through equally dramatic changes, from tropical jungles in Montana and forests at the poles, to grasslands and savannas across the entire world. Life in the sea also underwent striking evolution reflecting global climate change, including the emergence of such creatures as giant sharks, seals, sea lions, dolphins, and whales.

After the Dinosaurs is a book for everyone who has an abiding fascination with the remarkable life of the past."

Wilson and Reeder's Mammal Species of the World is the classic reference book on the taxonomic classification and distribution of the more than 5400 species of mammals that exist today. The third edition includes detailed information on nomenclature and, for the first time, common names. Each concise entry covers type locality, distribution, synonyms, and major reference sources. The systematic arrangement of information indicates evolutionary relationships at both the ordinal and the family level. This indispensable reference work belongs in public and academic libraries throughout the world and on the shelf of every biologist who works with mammals.

One of Rick Bass's most widely respected works of natural history, The Ninemile Wolves follows the fate of a modern wolf pack, the first known group of wolves to attempt to settle in Montana outside protected national park territory. The wolf inspires hatred, affection, myth, fear, and pity; its return polarizes the whole of the West -- igniting the passions of cattle ranchers and environmentalists, wildlife biologists and hunters. One man's vigorous, emotional inquiry into the proper relationship between man and nature, The Ninemile Wolves eloquently advocates wolf reintroduction in the West. In a new preface, Bass discusses the enduring lessons of the Ninemile story.

In a remote valley near the BC-Alaska border lives a remarkable group of grizzly bears who have never learned to fear humans. When logging threatened this valley, people from all over the world joined a battle to save the bears. In 1994, their efforts paid off with the establishment of the Khutzymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary, one of the world's most important protected wildlife areas. Dan Wakeman, a core member of the Save the Khutzymateen campaign, was one of only two guides licensed to take visitors into the heart of this ecological reserve. Photographer Wendy Shymanski, who worked with Dan for many years, amassed a folio of exquisite colour photographs of the bears in this special part of the world. In "Fortress of the Grizzlies," these avid naturalists share what they have learned and seen during years of respectful interaction with this community of grizzlies.

This study of dog ecology (and behaviour) and of human ecology (and behaviour) discusses the facets of the phenomenon of the urban free-roaming dog. It provides information for students who wish to embark on studies of wild canines.

The Chang Tang, the vast, remote Tibetan steppe, is home to a unique assemblage of large mammals, including Tibetan antelope, gazelle, argali sheep, wild ass, wild yak, wolves, snow leopards, and others. Since 1985, George B. Schaller and his Chinese and Tibetan co-workers have surveyed the flora and fauna of the Chang Tang. Their research provides the first detailed look at the natural history of one of the world's least known ecosystems.
The plains ungulates are the main focus of this book--especially the Tibetan antelope, or "chiru," whose migrations define this ecosystem much as those of the wildebeest define the Serengeti. Schaller's descriptions of mammal numbers and distribution, behavior, and ecology provide baseline information that may allow wildlife, grasslands, and pastoralists to continue to coexist harmoniously in this region.
This project led to the creation of the 130,000-square-mile Chang Tang Reserve by the Tibetan government in 1993, and "Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe" should help promote future studies as well as conservation and management efforts.
"Schaller makes significant contributions to an understanding of the origins and ecology of Tibetan wildlife that will thrill specialists. . . . Schaller's book is much more than an ecological synthesis. It is a quest for conservation, a case history by a very brave and capable man, driven by no small passion to prevent the tragedy of extinction that looms over Tibet's fauna. His book touches not only the mind but also the heart, and in the context of conservation and the future it raises questions to torture the soul. . . . "Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe" will long remain a unique, important source ofbiological, but also sociological, insights and challenges. I found it well written and difficult to put down."--Valerius Geist, "Nature"
"The topics in "Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe" are at least as diverse as the topography; they range from geology and paleoecology to descriptions of ungulates and carnivores unknown to most of the non-Chinese speaking world. Individual chapters focus on kiangs, Bactrian camels, yaks, chirus, blue sheep, and Tibetan argalis and gazelles. Not only is much of the biological information new, but subsumed within these chapters are current and past estimates of population sizes both in the Chang Tang Reserve and in protected and nonprotected areas of 'the' plateau. Insights are provided into social structure, and speculations about the evolution and adaptive bases of behavior are carefully offered. Subsequent chapters involve discussions of carnivore communities and interactions between people and wildlife, including the localized but devastating effects of poachers. . . . This book has something for all audiences. . . . [A]n exciting testimony to the past and present status of a biologically spectacular region."--Joel Berger, "Conservation Biology"

Mammalian Dispersal Patterns examines the ways that social structure affects population genetics and, in turn, rates of evolution, in mammalian groups. It brings together fieldwork in animal behavior and wildlife biology with theoretical work in demography and population genetics. The focus here is dispersal--whether, how, and when individuals leave the areas where they are born.
Theoretical work in population genetics indicates that such social factors as skewed sex ratios, restrictive mating patterns, and delayed age of first reproduction will lower the reproductive variability of a population by reducing the number of genotypes passed from one generation to the next. Field studies have shown that many mammalian species do exhibit many such social characteristics. Among horses, elephant seals, and a number of primates, the majority of females are inseminated by only a fraction of the males. In pacts of wolves and mongooses, usually only the highest-ranking male and female breed in a given season. Although socially restricted mating tends to lower genetic variability in isolated populations, it actually tends to increase genetic variability in subdivided populations with low rates of migration between subunits. Among some species there is little dispersal and thus little gene flow between subpopulations; other species travel far afield before mating.
The contributors to this volume examine actual data from populations of mammals, the way patterns of dispersal correlate with the genetic structure of individuals and populations, and mathematical models of population structure. This interdisciplinary approach has an important bearing on work in conservation of both wildlife and zoo populations, for it shows that the home range and the population size needed to maintain genetic variability can differ greatly from one species to the next. The volume also offers a fruitful model for future research.

The jaguar is one of the most mysterious and least-known big cats of the world. The largest cat in the Americas, it has survived an onslaught of environmental and human threats partly because of an evolutionary history unique among wild felines, but also because of a power and indomitable spirit so strong, the jaguar has shaped indigenous cultures and the beliefs of early civilizations on two continents. In An Indomitable Beast: The Remarkable Journey of the Jaguar, big-cat expert Alan Rabinowitz shares his own personal journey to conserve a species that, despite its past resilience, is now on a slide toward extinction if something is not done to preserve the pathways it prowls through an ever-changing, ever-shifting landscape dominated by humans. Rabinowitz reveals how he learned from newly available genetic data that the jaguar was a single species connected genetically throughout its entire range from Mexico to Argentina, making it unique among all other large carnivores in the world. In a mix of personal discovery and scientific inquiry, he sweeps his readers deep into the realm of the jaguar, offering fascinating accounts from the field. Enhanced with maps, tables, and colour plates, An Indomitable Beast brings important new research to life for scientists, anthropologists, and animal lovers alike. This book is not only about jaguars, but also about tenacity and survival. From the jaguar we can learn better strategies for saving other species and also how to save ourselves when faced with immediate and long-term catastrophic changes to our environment.

Pathology of the Developing Mouse provides, in so far as feasible, one complete reference on the design, analysis, and interpretation of abnormal findings that may be detected in developing mice before and shortly after birth. In particular, this book is designed specifically to be not only a "how to do" manual for developmental pathology experimentation in mice but, more importantly, a "how to interpret" resource for pathologists and other biomedical scientists faced for the first or hundredth time with defining the significance of distorted features in some fantastic murine developmental monstrosity. The topics covered in this volume include a full range of subjects encountered when building and wielding a developmental pathology tool kit: baseline anatomic and physiologic traits of developing mice principles of good experimental design and statistical analysis for mouse developmental pathology studies procedures for anatomic pathology examinations, to evaluate structural changes at the macroscopic (gross), microscopic (cells and tissues), and ultrastructural (subcellular) levels, suing conventional autopsy-based or novel non-invasive imaging techniques; methods for clinical pathology testing, to assess the biochemical and cellular composition of tissues and fluids; options and protocols for in situ molecular pathology analysis, to undertake site-specific explorations of the various mechanisms responsible for producing adverse findings (i.e., "lesions") during development; and well-referenced and illustrated guides to the interpretation of anatomic pathology and clinical pathology changes in the animal (embryos, fetuses, neonates, and juveniles) and its support system (placenta).

From cave paintings to the latest Siberian finds, woolly mammoths have fascinated people across Europe, Asia, and North America for centuries. Remains of these enormous prehistoric animals were among the first fossils to be recognized as such, and they have played a crucial role in the birth and development of paleontology. In this lively, wide-ranging look at the fate of the mammoth, Claudine Cohen reanimates this large mammal with heavy curved tusks and shaggy brown hair through its history in science, myth, and popular culture.
Cohen uses the mammoth and the theories that naturalists constructed around it to illuminate wider issues in the history of science, showing how changing views about a single object reveal the development of scientific methods, practices, and ideas. How are fossils discovered, reconstructed, displayed, and interpreted? What stories are told about them, by whom, and how do these stories reflect the cultures and societies in which they are told?
To find out, Cohen takes us on a grand tour of the study of mammoth remains, from England, Germany, and France to Russia and America, and from the depths of Africa to the frozen frontiers of Alaska and Siberia, where intact mammoth corpses have been discovered in the permafrost. Along the way, she shows how paleontologists draw on myth and history, as well as on scientific evidence, to explore the deep history of the earth and of life. Cohen takes her history from the sixteenth century right up to the present, when researchers are using molecular biology to retrieve mammoth DNA, calling up dreams of cloning the mammoth and one day seeing herds of woolly mammoths roaming the frozen steppes.

Visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park are likely to see a variety of wildlife, from the small and difficult to observe to the large and spectacular. A wide assortment of animals- salamanders, turtles, lizards, snakes, birds, deer, and bears-inhabit the park. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park focuses on the park's fur-bearing animals that nurse their young. The first edition of Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was published in 1971, and significant changes have transpired in the past forty-five years: new species have been discovered in the park, reintroductions-some successful and one unsuccessful-have occurred, and a number of taxonomic revisions have taken place. This updated edition contains accounts of seventy-two of the park's mammals, including opossums, shrews, moles, bats, rabbits, rodents, wolves, raccoons, pumas, and other carnivores and deer and elk. Donald W. Linzey, who began working in the park in 1963, draws on his extensive research background and combines it with the notes of Arthur Stupka, former chief naturalist and park biologist, and many others who have contributed to knowledge of the mammals in the park. Several new features have been added to the third edition, including the origins of genus and species names, photographs of new species, and skull drawings of some species, which illustrate distinct features. To honor the park's Cherokee heritage, the Cherokee names for many mammals are now given along with their English names. Written for laymen and biologists alike, Linzey discusses the distribution, habitat, food habits, predation, and reproductive habits of mammals ranging from the pigmy shrew to the conspicuous black bear.

In Elephant House, photographer Dick Blau and historian Nigel Rothfels offer a thought-provoking study of the Oregon Zoo's Asian Elephant Building and the daily routines of its residents-human and pachyderm alike. Without an agenda beyond a desire to build a deeper understanding of this enigmatic environment, Elephant House is the result of the authors' unique creative collaboration and explores the relationships between captive elephants and their human caregivers. Blau's evocative photographs are complex and challenging, while Rothfels's text offers a scholarly and personal response to the questions that surround elephants and captivity. Elephant House does not take sides in the debate over zoos but focuses instead on the bonds of attentiveness between the animals and their keepers. Accompanied by a foreword from retired elephant keeper Mike Keele, Elephant House is a frank, fascinating look at the evolving world of elephant husbandry.

Dr. Andrew Root's search for the canine soul began the day his eight-year-old son led the family in a moving Christian ritual at the burial service for Kirby, their beloved black lab. In the coming weeks, Root found himself wondering: What was this thing we'd experienced with this animal? Why did the loss hurt so poignantly? Why did his son's act seem so right in its sacramental feel? In 'The Grace of Dogs', Root draws on biology, history, theology, cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds), and paleontology to trace how in our mutual evolution, humans and dogs have so often helped each other to become more fully ourselves. Root explores questions like: Do dogs have souls? Is it accurate to say that dogs 'love' us? What do psychology and physiology say about why we react to dogs in the way that we do? 'The Grace of Dogs' paints a vivid picture of how, beyond sentimentality, the dog-human connection can legitimately be described as 'spiritual'--as existing not for the sake of gain, but for the unselfish desire to be with and for the other, and to remind us that we are persons worthy of love and able to share love. In this book for any parent whose kids have asked if they'll see Fido in Heaven, or who has looked their beloved dog in the face and wondered what's going on in there, Dr. Root delivers an illuminating and heartfelt read that will change how we understand man's best friend.

This book is devoted to the description of the systematics and biology of forest mice and jerboas. It describes detailed morphological characteristics and includes keys for the identification of the families, genera and species. Detailed maps of distribution of species are compiled. Data on the biology is according to the set plan (population, habitat, feeding, daily and seasonal activity, behavior, reproduction, parasites and competitors, etc.). This book primarily focuses species found in Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Russian Central Asia and Transcaucasia. Brief coverage of species outside these regions is also included. The book is intended for mammalogists, systematists, ecologists, and zoogeographers.

First published in 1993, with a new and updated preface, this book is based on two years of intensive field study in Kruger National Park in South Africa. Ted Bailey examines leopard population characteristics, activity and habitat use patterns, movements, feeding ecology, and social organization, and provides new information on leopard mortality, scavenging, and relationships to other large predators and to humans. Illustrated with photographs, maps, graphs, charts, and tables. For professional wildlife biologists, students, and others concerned with the natural history of large carnivores. Ted Bailey is a retired Kenai National Wildlife Refuge wildlife biologist who has lived on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska for more than 27 years. He is an adjunct instructor at the Kenai Peninsula College. "Bailey has added a substantial and high-quality work." Science 1994 264:1004-1005 "The leopard remains an enigma in conservation. It is a difficult task for biologists and managers to balance their desires to protect such a species and also promote systems increasing the values people place on the species. It may be the mystery and chase that elevate the value of the trophy, be it fur or photographic. This book provides clues for many new mysteries around the leopard. J Wildlife Management 1995 59:191-192 "It represents simply the most comprehensive treatise on the leopard available to date." Julian C. Kerbis Peterhans, Center for Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, The Field Museum

North America's fastest mammal, the pronghorn can accelerate explosively from a standing start to a top speed of 60 miles per hour-but it can also cruise at 45 miles per hour for many miles. What accounts for the speed of this extraordinary animal, a denizen of the American outback, and what can be observed of this creature's way of life? And what is it like to be a field biologist dedicating twenty years to studying this species? In Built for Speed, John A. Byers answers these questions as he draws an intimate portrait of the most charismatic resident of the American Great Plains. The National Bison Range in western Montana, established in 1908 to snatch bison from the brink of extinction, also inadvertently rescued the largest known remnant of Palouse Prairie. It is within this grassland habitat-home to meadowlarks, rattlesnakes, bighorn sheep, coyotes, elk, snipe, and a panoply of wildflowers-that Byers observes the pronghorn's life from birth to death (a life often as brief as four days, sometimes as long as fifteen years) and from season to season. Readers will also experience the vicarious pleasures of a biologist who is eager to race a pronghorn in his truck, scrutinize bison dung through binoculars, and peer through the gathering dusk of a rainy evening to count the display dives of snipe. A vivid and memorable tale of a first-rate scientist's twenty-year encounter with a magnificent animal, the story of the pronghorn is also a reminder of the crucial role we can play in preserving the fleeting life of the native American grassland.

Metabolism of Brain Peptides discusses neuropeptide metabolism in light of recent research. It describes the processing mechanisms in the production of biologically active peptides. It details distribution of the variety of neuropeptides in the brain and comprehensively reviews the effects of these neuropeptides on behavioral and physiological functions. The book also examines termination mechanisms for the biological activities of neuropeptides in light of recent knowledge of their distribution, their receptors and their possible inactivation enzymes in various functional regions of the brain and at the blood-brain barrier.

Expelled from Botswana for writing Cry of the Kalahari, the Owenses set off across Africa. They settled in Zambia, where they soon found their peace shattered by the gunfire of elephant poachers. This is the story of the couple's battle to save the elephants and their own lives.

Mammalian Neuroendocrinology presents a concise examination of how the nervous and endocrine systems interact to regulate physiological processes. Selected experimental results are presented to illustrate the current understanding of neuroendocrine processes. Neural influences and endocrine feedback mechanisms related to the secretion of adenohypophysial hormones are summarized for each hormone. The book's concise nature and readable style are highly suited for use as a graduate textbook. There are also chapters devoted to each of the following topics: neurohypophysis, pineal gland, adrenal medulla, hormones and behavior, and neuroendocrine immunology. Comparisons are made among species of mammals, including laboratory rodents, domesticated ungulates, and primates. Agricultural and/or clinical aspects relevant to these topics are covered when appropriate. Mammalian Neuroendocrinology is excellent for students and professionals in neuroendocrinology, neuroscience, endocrinology, reproduction studies, and animal sciences.