Forstarchiv 80 (6) Nov-Dec 2009, pp 332-333
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Forstarchiv 80 (6) Nov-Dec 2009, pp 332-333
Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.) Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 1: Carnivores. 2009. 728 Pages, 36 colour plates. 561 colour photographs, 258 distribution maps, 31 x 24 cm. Hardback. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 978-84-¬96553-49-1. 160.00€.
Similar to the soon-to-be-published Handbook of the Birds of the World, the aim of the Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) is to provide a complete overview on every currently known mammal on the earth. The first volume of the HMW is now published and discusses carnivores.
Following an introduction, giving a shore orientation of the general structure of the book, are some 30 pages that provide an excellent overview about the characteristics of animals of the class Mammalia. Morphological and physiological aspects such as the ex¬cretory, respiratory, nervous and reproductive systems, the skeletal and muscular systems, circulation, metabolism, and thermoregulation are discussed as well as behavioral and ecological aspects like breeding behavior, mating systems, and migration. Also speciation, phylogeny, and classification are provided, showing how many spe¬cies and genera make up the different families, suborders, and orders of the class Mammalia.
The information contained in the HMW covers a total of 13 fam¬ilies: Nandiniidae, Felidae, Prionodonridae, Viverridae, Hyaenidae, Herpestidae, Eupleridae, Canidae, Ursidae, Ailuridae, Procyonidae, Mephitidae, and Mustelidae.
Before discussing a single species in detail, facts about the family are given. The very basic information about that family is shown in a summary-box: systematics (class, order, and suborder), body size, and other basic morphological characteristics, habitat, and informa¬tion about status and conservation. The native distribution area is both mentioned in the text and shown in a map. A figure also shows the size of the largest and the smallest member of that family compared to a human.
The summary box is followed by more detailed information about the family, which varies in length, depending on the size of the family and the current knowledge about it. The facts given include details about systematics, morphological aspects, habitat, communication, food and feeding, breeding, movement, home range and social or¬ganization, relationship with humans, status, and conservation. The majority of the 561 color photographs belong to this part. These photographs are of brilliant quality. Together with detailed com¬ments, they give an excellent impression about important characteristics of the family or species. Some extraordinary photographs even show unique aspects of morphology or behavior that can be observed very rarely in nature.
After information on a single family is given, each species belong¬ing to that family are discussed in detail. The most common name in English and the scientific name of that species are listed along with names in French, German, and Spanish, as well as often other accepted English names. A map at the beginning shows the native distribution of each species, whereas further details about anthropo¬genic populations in other areas of the world are mentioned under the subheading "Subspecies and Distribution" in the text. Information about taxonomy, descriptive notes, habitat, food and feeding, activity patterns, movements, home range and social organization, breeding, as well as status and conservation are presented. This is limited to no more than two pages, even for well-investigated animals like the African lion, tiger, or puma. Although kept short, the infor¬mation is of high quality, often including detailed data on weight, head-body size, and dental formula, range size, or dispersal distances. A bibliography listing scientific references concludes each species ac¬count. Many publications referenced were published within the last 5 years and thereby ensure the accuracy of the information.
A total of 36 color panels provide at least one figure for every single species that is described in the book. For some species there are also figures showing pre-adults, various subspecies, morphs or color varieties, and differences between summer and winter coat, as well as between male and female individuals. A scale in inches and centimeters on every color panel gives an impression about the size of the animals shown.
At the end of the HMW, a reference section follows. First, there are the references of the scientific descriptions, containing author, year, and publication of the original description of every genus, species, and subspecies mentioned. The following 50 pages contain the general list of references, providing the full tide of every reference that was used in this volume. An Index provides the page number for the orders, families, genera, species and subspecies, as well as for obsolete genera, synonyms, and other common names mentioned in the text or photographs of species.
The HMW is unquestionably outstanding and will be a standard work for the next decades if it continues the way it started with this volume concerning carnivores. The book is structured very logically, beginning with an overview of the class Mammalia and then moving to a more detailed discussion about the different families. The reports on single species follow immediately after the report on the family they belong to. Although over 700 pages long, the book is easy to handle. The species information and the reports about the families follow the same pattern, making it easy to look for the needed information. Short notes at the top of each page provide not only the name of the family that is currently discussed, but also link the spe¬cies account to its corresponding color panel. The Index makes it easy to find a certain species quickly. If necessary, the list of references aids in finding additional literature.
The information given in the species account is very detailed and makes it easy to get a quick impression on the most important mor¬phological, behavioral, and ecological characteristics of a certain species. A small weakness is that data on longevity are sometimes missing, even for common species like the red fox, European badger, or gray wolf. Not only the species accounts, but also me text pas¬sages in general are easy to read and understand. Things are explained simply and clearly, making it possible even for non-scientists to un¬derstand the discussed material. The photographs and accompanying detailed text passages harmonize well. The figures on the color panels are accurate and very lifelike, revealing even small characteristics.
The price of € 160.00 is acceptable for a book of this complex¬ity and accuracy. There have been many other expensive books that have not even elementarily reached the quality of this book. This volume of the HMW is not only for scientists but for everyone who is interested in our world's mammal fauna. It will be interesting to see whether the second volume will hold to the high quality and standard that was attained with volume I.
Martin Scholz, Gottingen