Walker's Mammals of the World, Volume 1

Front Cover
JHU Press, Jul 29, 1999 - Medical - 1936 pages

From aardwolves and bandicoots to yapoks and zorillas, Ernest P. Walker's Mammals of the World is the most comprehensive—the pre-eminent—reference work on mammals. Now, completely revised and updated, this fascinating guide is better than ever. Providing a complete account of every genus of mammal in all historical time, the sixth edition is 25 percent longer than its predecessor. Of the previous generic accounts, 95 percent have been substantively modified, and there are 80 new ones—among them, three remarkable, large ungulates recently discovered in the forests of Indochina. New also is a full account of the woolly mammoth, now known to have survived until less than 4,000 years ago.

Each section of the book describes one genus and includes facts such as scientific and common names, the number and distribution of species, measurements and physical traits, habitat, locomotion, daily and seasonal activity, population dynamics, home range, social life, reproduction, and longevity. Textual summaries present accurate, well-documented descriptions of the physical characteristics and living habits of mammals in every part of the world. As in the last two editions, the names and distributions of every species of every genus are listed in systematic order. These lists have now been cross-checked to ensure coverage of all species in the comprehensive new Smithsonian guide, Mammal Species of the World. Facts on the biology of mammals have been brought together from more than 2,700 newly cited references, nearly all published in the last decade. Also new are the latest data on reproduction, longevity, fur harvests, numbers in the wild and in captivity, and conservation status. The sixth edition also records all official classifications of every mammal species and subspecies in the massive 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

The illustrations—more than 1,700—include virtually every genus of mammal. Among them are pictures by such noted wildlife photographers as Leonard Lee Rue III, Bernhard Grzimek, David Pye, and Warren T. Houck. Mammals pictured here for the first time include the just-discovered giant muntjac deer of Viet Nam, a rodent known only from the Solomon Islands, a large fruit bat whose male suckles the young, and an extremely rare web-footed tenrec of Madagascar.

Since its publication in 1964, Walker's Mammals of the World has become a favorite guide to the natural world for general readers as well as an invaluable resource for professionals. This sixth edition represents more than half a century of scholarship—Ernest P. Walker himself devoted more than thirty years to the original project—and remains true to Walker's vision, smoothly combining thorough scholarship with a popular, readable style to preserve and enhance what the Washington Post called "a landmark of zoological literature."

From inside the book

Contents

Foreword by Don E Wilson
xiii
Mammals
1
American Opossums
17
Caenolestidae Shrew Opossums
36
Numbat or Banded Anteater
65
Notoryctidae Marsupial Mole
82
RatKangaroos
97
Pygmy Possums
128
Freetailed Bats and Mastiff Bats
470
Primates
490
Dwarf Lemurs and Mouse Lemurs
505
Sportive Lemurs or Weasel Lemurs and Koala Lemurs
521
Tarsiers
534
Marmosets Tamarins and Goeldis Monkey
557
39
569
Gibbons or Lesser Apes
608

Honey Possum
143
Armadillos
158
Insectivores
169
Manidae Pangolins or Scaly Anteaters 1239
185
Tenrecs or Madagascar Hedgehogs
186
Solenodons
199
Moles Shrew Moles and Desmans
229
Tupaiidae Tree Shrews
244
Old World Fruit Bats
258
Mousetailed Bats or Longtailed Bats
305
Kittis Hognosed Bat
320
Moustached Bats Nakedbacked Bats or Ghostfaced Bats
343
New Zealand Shorttailed Bats
405
People or Human Beings
626
67
655
Bears
678
Raccoons and Relatives
694
69
727
Civets Genets and Linsangs
748
Mongooses and Fossa
766
Aardwolf and Hyenas
786
Pocket Mice Kangaroo Rats and Kangaroo Mice 1318
815
Index Iv
837
Pacarana 1663
Copyright

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About the author (1999)

Ronald M. Nowak was senior author of the fourth edition and author of the fifth and sixth editions of Walker's Mammals of the World. He served as editorial consultant for four editions of National Geographic Society's Wild Animals of North America.

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