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Carnivores have always fascinated us, even though they make up only
10% of all mammalian genera and only about 2% of all mammalian
biomass. In Greek mythology most of the gods adorned their robes
and helmets with depictions of carnivores, and the great hero
Hercules' most famous feat was killing the "invulnerable" lion with
his bare hands. Part* of our fascination with carnivores stems from
fright and intrigue, and sometimes even hatred because of our
direct competition with them. Cases of "man-eating" lions, bears,
and wolves, as well as carnivores' reputation as killers of
livestock and game, provoke communities and governrpents to adopt
sweeping policies to exterminate them. Even President Theodore
Roosevelt, proclaimer of a new wildlife protectionism, described
the wolf as "the beast of waste and desolation. " The sheer
presence and power of carnivores is daunt ing: they can move
quickly yet silently through forests, attaining rapid bursts of
speed when necessary; their massive muscles are aligned to deliver
powerful attacks, their large canines and strong jaws rip open
carcasses, and their scis sor-like carnassials slice meat. Partly
because of our fear of these attributes, trophy hunting of
carnivores has been, and to a certain extent still is, a sign of
bravery and skill. Among some Alaskan Inuit, for example, a man is
not eligible for marriage until he has killed a succession of
animals of increasing size and dangerousness, culminating with the
most menacing, the polar bear.
Because carnivores are at the top of the food chain, their
status is an important indicator of the health of the world
ecosystem. They are intensely interesting to zoologists and
uniquely intriguing to the general public. Devoted primarily to
terrestrial carnivores, this volume focuses on such themes as
carnivore reintroduction programs and the ethics of studying
carnivores, drawing examples from a variety of species.
Because carnivores are at the top of the food chain, it is often argued that protecting them will afford adequate protection to other taxa as well. In the past ten years, theoretical and empirical studies on carnivores have developed very quickly. This volume reviews and summarizes the current state of the field, describes limitations and opportunities for carnivore conservation, and offers a conceptual framework for future research and applied management. It will be of interest to students and researchers of conservation biology, mammalogy, animal behavior, ecology, and evolution.
Phylogeny is a potentially powerful tool for conserving
biodiversity. This book explores how it can be used to tackle
questions of great practical importance and urgency for
conservation. Using case studies from many different taxa and
regions of the world, the volume evaluates how useful phylogeny is
in understanding the processes that have generated today's
diversity and the processes that now threaten it. The novelty of
many of the applications, the increasing ease with which
phylogenies can be generated, the urgency with which conservation
decisions have to be made and the need to make decisions that are
as good as possible together make this volume a timely and
important synthesis which will be of great value to researchers,
practitioners and policy-makers alike.
Because carnivores are at the top of the food chain, it is often argued that protecting them will afford adequate protection to other taxa as well. In the past ten years, theoretical and empirical studies on carnivores have developed very quickly. This volume reviews and summarizes the current state of the field, describes limitations and opportunities for carnivore conservation, and offers a conceptual framework for future research and applied management. It will be of interest to students and researchers of conservation biology, mammalogy, animal behavior, ecology, and evolution.
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