"Rodent Societies "synthesizes and integrates the current state of knowledge about the social behavior of rodents, providing ecological and evolutionary contexts for understanding their societies and highlighting emerging conservation and management strategies to preserve them. It begins with a summary of the evolution, phylogeny, and biogeography of social and nonsocial rodents, providing a historical basis for comparative analyses. Subsequent sections focus on group-living rodents and characterize their reproductive behaviors, life histories and population ecology, genetics, neuroendocrine mechanisms, behavioral development, cognitive processes, communication mechanisms, cooperative and uncooperative behaviors, antipredator strategies, comparative socioecology, diseases, and conservation. Using the highly diverse and well-studied Rodentia as model systems to integrate a variety of research approaches and evolutionary theory into a unifying framework, "Rodent Societies "will appeal to a wide range of disciplines, both as a compendium of current research and as a stimulus for future collaborative and interdisciplinary investigations.

Many mammals like to dig in the dirt, but few call it home. Those that do, such as mole-rats, zokors, and tuco-tucos, have developed novel adaptations to their subterranean life, including bones and muscles modified for efficient digging and ways to "see" underground without using their eyes. These unusual traits, adopted independently by unrelated groups around the world, also make subterranean rodents fascinating subjects for biologists.
"Life Underground" provides the first comprehensive review of the biology of subterranean rodents. Arranged by topic rather than by taxon to facilitate cross-species comparisons, chapters cover such subjects as morphology, physiology, social behavior, genetic variation, and evolutionary diversification. Two main questions run throughout the book. First, to what extent has subterranean life shaped the biology of these animals, leading to similar adaptations among otherwise dissimilar species? Second, how have the distinct evolutionary histories of these groups led to different solutions to the challenges posed by life underground?

Did you know that a groundhog is really a type of squirrel? That squirrels control their body temperature with their tails? That most squirrels have yellow-tinted eye lenses that work like sunglasses to reduce glare? That tree squirrels can turn their hind feet completely around when climbing down a tree head-first? In Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide, Richard W. Thorington Jr. and Katie Ferrell unveil the fascinating world of one of the "most watched" mammals on the planet.

The diversity of squirrels is astounding. There are 278 species that inhabit all continents except Antarctica and Australia -- varying in size from the lumbering 18-pound gray marmot to the graceful pygmy flying squirrel that is smaller than most mice. In many parts of the world they readily share human habitats, joining us for lunch in a city park, raiding our bird feeders, and sneaking into college dorm rooms through open windows. Reviled as pests or loved as an endearing amusement, squirrels have played important roles in trade, literature, and mythology.

Thorington and Ferrell cover every aspect of this diverse animal family, from the first squirrels of 36 million years ago to the present day. With over one hundred photographs and an intuitive question-and-answer format, this authoritative and engaging guide sheds light on a common mammal that is anything but commonplace.

Famed in story as "the great leviathans," sperm whales are truly creatures of extremes. Giants among all whales, they also have the largest brains of any creature on Earth. Males can reach a length of sixty-two feet and can weigh upwards of fifty tons.
With this book, Hal Whitehead gives us a clearer picture of the ecology and social life of sperm whales than we have ever had before. Based on almost two decades of field research, Whitehead describes their biology, behavior, and habitat; how they organize their societies; and how their complex lifestyles may have evolved in this unique environment. Among the many fascinating topics he explores is the crucial role that culture plays in the life of the sperm whale, and he traces the consequences of this argument for both evolution and conservation. Finally, drawing on these findings, Whitehead builds a general model of how the ocean environment influences social behavior and cultural evolution among mammals as well as other animals.
The definitive portrait of a provocative creature, "Sperm Whales" will interest animal behaviorists, conservationists, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists as well as marine mammalogists.

Acclaimed and coveted by both naturalists and lovers of wildlife illustration, Jonathan Kingdon's seven-volume East African Mammals has become a classic of modern natural history. This paperback edition makes Kingdon's remarkable artistic and scientific achievement--his hundreds of drawings and perceptive study of all the mammals in East Africa's species-rich fauna--available to the wide audience it deserves.
Volume IIIB celebrates the large mammals for which the African plains are so famous--elephants, rhinos, zebras, bushpigs, and warthogs, hippopotamuses, camels, chevrotains, giraffes. Kingdon brings his artist's eye to such puzzles as the zebra's stripes and the giraffe's spots, making original observations throughout the seven volumes about the evolutionary and functional significance of coat color, facial expressions, and curious forms and markings.
The beauty of the animals, so vivid in these incomparable drawings, is made more poignant by the acknowledgment of their increasingly endangered status. Kingdon discusses the inevitable problems posed by large mammal communities in a developing continent and includes numerous maps indicating their declining ranges and populations.

From kangaroos and koalas to the giant "Diprotodon" and bizarre "thingodontans," prehistoric mammals evolved within the changing and sometimes harsh environments of Australia. As part of Gondwana, Australia was the first landmass to be isolated from the supercontinent Pangaea. In "Prehistoric Mammals of Australia and New Guinea, " four respected paleontologists present a history of the development of modern mammals from the unique evolutionary environment of Australia and New Guinea. The authors describe both what is known about prehistoric Australian mammals and what can be reconstructed from the fossil evidence about their appearance and behaviors.

This accessible reference work offers facts about how each mammal got its name and provides a description of how the fossil mammal resembles its modern descendants. Over 200 four-color illustrations enhance the text, which describes the age, diet, and habitat of these extinct mammals. The authors also detail how each mammal evolved and is now classified. Diagrams showing skeletal features and tooth structure and a glossary of technical terms are also included.

Wolves are some of the world's most charismatic and controversial animals, capturing the imaginations of their friends and foes alike. Highly intelligent and adaptable, they hunt and play together in close-knit packs, sometimes roaming over hundreds of square miles in search of food. Once teetering on the brink of extinction across much of the United States and Europe, wolves have made a tremendous comeback in recent years, thanks to legal protection, changing human attitudes, and efforts to reintroduce them to suitable habitats in North America. As wolf populations have rebounded, scientific studies of them have also flourished. But there hasn't been a systematic, comprehensive overview of wolf biology since 1970. In "Wolves," many of the world's leading wolf experts provide state-of-the-art coverage of just about everything you could want to know about these fascinating creatures. Individual chapters cover wolf social ecology, behavior, communication, feeding habits and hunting techniques, population dynamics, physiology and pathology, molecular genetics, evolution and taxonomy, interactions with nonhuman animals such as bears and coyotes, reintroduction, interactions with humans, and conservation and recovery efforts. The book discusses both gray and red wolves in detail and includes information about wolves around the world, from the United States and Canada to Italy, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Israel, India, and Mongolia. "Wolves" is also extensively illustrated with black and white photos, line drawings, maps, and fifty color plates. Unrivalled in scope and comprehensiveness, "Wolves" will become the definitive resource on these extraordinary animals for scientists and amateurs alike. An excellent compilation of current knowledge, with contributions from all the main players in wolf research. . . . It is designed for a wide readership, and certainly the language and style will appeal to both scientists and lucophiles alike. . . . This is an excellent summary of current knowledge and will remain the standard reference work for a long time to come. Stephen Harris, "New Scientist" This is the place to find almost any fact you want about wolves. Stephen Mills, "BBC Wildlife Magazine" "

Vividly written and filled with fascinating insights, Almost Human chronicles thirty years of Shirley Strum's fieldwork with a troop of olive baboons nicknamed the Pumphouse Gang. From the first paragraph, the reader is drawn along with Strum into the world of the baboons, learning about the tragedies and triumphs of their daily lives-and of her own voyage of courageous scientific discovery.
In the same way that Jane Goodall's pioneering study of chimpanzees revealed their likeness to humans, Strum's work shows how, contrary to the popular image and the scientific evidence of the time, the more distantly related baboons are just as socially savvy. "Almost Human" includes her groundbreaking discovery that social finesse, rather than male dominance and aggression, plays a crucial role in baboon society, and Strum relates the drama of a daring translocation experiment with the Pumphouse Gang that ultimately ensured their survival when their habitat was threatened by destruction.
This edition includes a new introduction that places Strum's research in the context of the current global conservation crisis and an epilogue that tells us what has happened to the Pumphouse Gang since the book was first published.

Examines conflict as a normal and recurrent feature of primate social life, emphasizing that the study of aggression and social conflict is important to understanding the basic processes that contribute to social order. The contributors scientists with field and laboratory experience in anthropology, behavioral endocrinology, ethology, and psycholo

Beihefte zum Tubinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients, Reiche A/27, 1987. Tubingen.

The Natural History of the Doucs and Snub-nosed Monkeys provides a comprehensive introduction to the biology of some of the rarest and least-known nonhuman primates. Virtually unstudied and unknown until 20 years ago, the doucs and snub-nosed monkeys occupy some of the most remote habitats of eastern Asia and exhibit some of the most unusual adaptations of any nonhuman primates. The volume provides detailed information on these rare Asian primates that will be useful to practitioners of evolutionary biology, field and laboratory primatology, systematics, field ecology, and conservation biology.

Marine mammals are among the most interesting and threatened species on Earth. This CD-ROM gives a complete overview of all sea mammals of the world with detailed full-colour drawings and spectacular underwater photographs as well as sound recordings for most species. Included also are an interactive identification key and distribution maps, and an illustrated glossary defining more than 250 scientific terms; the entire text is hyperlinked. Marine Mammals of the World is a must for teachers, whale and dolphin watchers, environmentalists, and ocean lovers everywhere.

Based on actual data of Soviet whaling, and reliable methodologies that existed at the time when this monograph was written, it examines the distribution and migration patterns of whales of the Southern Ocean. It defines distinct populations on the basis of phenes, as well as whale breeding zones, which are located in the adjacent to the Southern Ocean waters at lower latitudes. The book records the presence of a new species of killer whale in the Southern Ocean - Orcinus nana. Prenatal growth patterns, pregnancy and lactation duration, mean sizes of new-born whales are determined. Methods for the graphic recording of registering structures are described, and an original method for their decoding is proposed to determine animal age. The age of sexual and physical maturity, life expectancy is determined. Earlier unknown "pair formations" on the lower jaw of baleen whales and sperm whales are described, together with their macro, histological and electronic microscopic structure. The impact of the extermination of whales on the Southern Ocean ecosystem is examined, recommendations for control of the current state of whale populations are given, and perspectives of whale population recovery are estimated. Regions that could be used as testing areas for whale registration method are defined. The book is intended for biologist-cytologists, ecologists and other specialists interested in cetaceans, and for biology students.

Marine mammals are among the most interesting and threatened species on Earth. This CD-ROM gives a complete overview of all sea mammals of the world with detailed full-colour drawings and spectacular underwater photographs as well as sound recordings for most species. Also included are an interactive identification key, distribution maps, and an illustrated glossary defining more than 250 scientific terms; the entire text is hyperlinked. Marine Mammals of the World is a must for teachers, whale and dolphin watchers, environmentalists, and ocean lovers everywhere.

The bears of the world are among the most studied, and most loved, of all wild creatures. From the polar bear of the Arctic to the grizzlies of Yellowstone and the black bears that roam our woodlands, bears never fail to delight the amateur naturalist or fascinate the scientific observer. Here, in a single volume, THE GREAT BEAR ALMANAC collects what is known about the world's bears, presenting in words, pictures, maps, and charts a complete factual compendium of bear knowledge. Virtually everything known about bears is touched upon in this remarkably entertaining book. Part I, "Bears in Their World, " discusses where bears are found throughout the world, with notes on population estimates and detailed maps. A full section on anatomy and physiology discusses distinguishing features among bear species, details on the skull, teeth, claws and other bear parts, how well bears hear and see, and much more. Another section investigates hibernation, intelligence, feeding, play, and other behavioral traits. Part II, "Bears in the Human World, " examines the wide range of ways in which bears and human beings intersect: bears in myth and religion, in art, literature, and film, and above all, in real life - bear attacks, human encroachment on bear habitat, governmental regulations on bears, trafficking in bear parts by poachers, a summary of current bear research, and much more. A concluding chapter looks at future prospects for the bears of the world, and offers guidelines for how all those who admire bears can help protect these great and majestic creatures.

No wild animal captures the spirit of North America quite so powerfully as the wild horse - nor has any faced such diverse and potent enemies. In this provocative account, Hope Ryden - who helped to ensure the passage of the Wild and Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act, which grants mustangs special protection - combs the history of these proud and noble horses. Descended from the Spanish horses riden by the conquistadors, they evolved into the tough and intelligent ponies that Indians - and later, explorers and cowboys - learned to rely on. From the period when wholesale extermination of the buffalo was underway until recent times, commercial and political interests have sought to eliminate the wild horses as varmints. In the latest update to this classic story, Ryden tells of the successes and failures in the last ten years of regulation, and has added stunning new color photographs. The subject of a front-page article in The New York Times when it was first published, America's Last Wild Horses continues to be a compelling testament to the life of a uniquely American symbol of grace and wildness, and is a must read for horse lovers and Western history enthusiasts everywhere. (6 X 9, 360 pages, color photos, b&w photos)

The word raccoon is drawn from the Native American Algonquian language. Their term arakun roughly translates to "he who scratches with his hands." Anyone who has found a raccoon rummaging around in a once securely closed trash container can attest to how skillful raccoons are with their front paws. In fact, they have four times as many sensory receptors in their forepaw skin as they do in their hind-paws -- a ratio similar to that of human hands and feet. Samuel Zeveloff explores this trait and much more in his accessible natural history of raccoons.

Written with the general reader in mind, Raccoons presents detailed information on raccoon evolution, physical characteristics, social behavior, habitats, food habits, reproduction, and conservation, as well as their relationship with humans and many other topics. The section on distribution and subspecies focuses on the raccoon's current range expansion and the material on their cultural significance demonstrates this mammal's unique status in different North American cultures.

Raccoons includes 28 illustrations and is sure to become the standard work on this wide-ranging species.

A vivid exploration of the reintroduction of the Mexican wolf to the American Southwest. Lobos, or Mexican wolves, once roamed freely throughout Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas until they were hunted to extinction when big cattle interests came to the Southwest. Now, a Mexican wolf introduction - similar to the Yellowstone efforts for its cousin the gray wolf - is underway in Arizona. But cattle have overgrazed the fragile land, damaging the ecosystem that barely sustains their vast numbers. With literary talent and a naturalist's sensibility, Rick Bass examines the circumstances of the Mexican wolves. Part meditation, part probing journalism, The New Wolves is an important new chapter in the drama of wolves and the American West.

Proceedings of the 19th annual meeting of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissues, held August 1991, in Willemstad, Curacao. Among the topics: the field of bioengineering; the oxygen molecule and its course from air to cell; the problem of diffusion in lung, blood, and tissue; patho"

De tous les temps le Singe a inquiete: sa ressemblance avec l'homme rend son animalite ambigue. La primatologie analyse, sous tous leurs aspects, les liens et les differences entre les Anthropoides et l'Homme. La psychologie animale a sa part dans cette analyse. Paul Guillaume et Ignace Meyerson publient de 1930 a 1937, dans le Journal de psychologie, Recherches sur l'usage de l'instrument chez les singes, articles reunis ici en un seul volume. A partir de 1927, a l'Institut Pasteur et au Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, avec un materiel tres reduit, evitant tout dressage, Guillaume et Meyerson ont essaye d'etablir une double echelle de niveau en correspondance: niveaux d'intelligence animale; types d'experiences marquant les traits principaux de ces niveaux. Ces articles constituent donc une etape historique dans la connaissance du comportement des Singes. Ils sont aussi et surtout une oeuvre de reference pour les chercheurs contemporains, mieux prepares a saisir la portee de ces travaux, tant sur le plan cognitif qu'evolutif.