Walker's Bats of the World

Book Description

From the African long-tongued fruit bat to the wrinkle-faced bat of Mexico and Central America, Walker's Bats of the World is an astonishingly complete guide to this fascinating, beneficial, and varied order of mammals. It includes scientific and common names, as well as the number and distribution of species, measurements and physical traits, habitat, 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 bats in every part of the world. Endangered species and those having singular economic importance are given particular attention.

Through five highly praised editions Walker's Mammals of the World has remained the most comprehensive--the preeminent--reference work on mammals. Now for the first time a single large segment of that encyclopedic work--the section on Chiroptera, or bats--is available in paperback as a separate volume. Lavishly illustrated with pictures by noted wildlife photographers, the book includes photographs of many rarely seen bats. As in the complete Walker's Mammals, most photographic illustrations depictlive animals rather than skins or skeletons.

Since publication of the first edition in 1964, Walker's Mammals of the World has become a favorite guide to the natural world for general readers and an invaluable reference for professionals. Now Walker's Bats makes a significant portion of that work accessible to a new audience.

Praise for Walker's Mammals of the World:

"A reference bargain for any library where young readers and old enjoy animals."--Scientific American.

"These well-written, deep-digging summaries are among the best available anywhere."--Natural History

Customer Reviews:

Excellant.......1999-10-08

This book contains one of the most extensive catalogs of the bats of the world that I have ever read. Not for pleasure reading, but great for research.

Walker's Mammals of the World (2-Volume Set) (Walker's Mammals of the World)

Average customer rating:

the best - but not perfect
Excellent Value for Money
everything you needed to know
Poor production affects comprehensive coverage
7th edition suggestions (a re-post)

Walker's Mammals of the World (2-Volume Set) (Walker's Mammals of the World)
Ronald M. Nowak
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801857899

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In 1930, the great mammalogist Ernest P. Walker (1891-1969), who was then assistant director of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., set out to make a checklist of all the world's mammal species. Thirty-four years later, that simple catalog had grown into the huge first edition of Mammals of the World, a book dedicated to all mammals, "who contribute so much to the welfare and happiness of man, another mammal, but receive so little in return, except blame, abuse, and extermination."

Now in its sixth edition and compiled in two volumes, the even larger Mammals of the World contains thorough descriptions of every genus of the class Mammalia known to have lived in the last 5,000 years: 28 orders, 146 families, 1,192 genera, and 4,809 separate species. Volume 1 opens with the monotremes (including echidnas and the duck-billed platypus), which, write Walker and his successor Ronald Nowak, "resemble reptiles and differ from all other mammals in that they lay shell-covered eggs that are incubated and hatched outside of the body of the mother." The first volume then moves on to cover the insectivores, including an astonishing variety of bats, and closes with primates and carnivores. Volume 2 comprises the pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), moves through the cetacea (dolphins, porpoises, and whales) and artiodactyls (deer and their kin), and closes with a huge roster of rodents. It also contains an extensive bibliography numbering some 6,000 items, making the set of inestimable importance to students and professionals.

Many of those mammal species, Nowak writes, are now in jeopardy. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists 2,078 threatened species, an increase of 1,661 species over its first list, published in 1987. At the same time, Nowak adds, the U.S. Department of Interior list has grown by only 17 species, for, he continues, "The USDI classification process has become hopelessly subject to delay and manipulation by bureaucratic, political, and commercial interests." He argues that much greater effort needs to be given to protecting these animal citizens everywhere in the world. The knowledge of them that this extraordinary compilation affords is a start. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

From reviews of previous editions:

"Professional naturalists will find [these volumes] invaluable as a handy reference, and amateurs -- at least those citizens alive to their earthly environment -- should delight in finding so much fascinating information made so available and palatable." -- Audubon

"What an amazing lot mammals are, seen here in all of their diversity!... Walker has made available a mine of information, for the specialist as well as for the casually interested... If you want to find out about a mammal, then, here is the place to look." -- New York Times

"Every mammalogist must have [these books], and those who profess a broad interest in the fauna of the world will want them." -- Natural History

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."

Customer Reviews:

the best - but not perfect.......2002-05-08

This is the most comprehensive mammalogy book in existance. it is thorough, interesting and up to date. it can, however be better. It should for instance include some phylogenetic trees and easy to use statistics about the different families and orders. better pictures (especially colour ones) will likewise be welcome.
The main complaint I have for this otherwise excellent book is that when dealing with non "sexy" multispecies genera it is not always clear from the text which species the data actually refers to. an even bigger, more detailed and species rather than genus oriented 7th edition will make this very good book actually excellent

Excellent Value for Money.......2001-02-12

Whilst agreeing with other reviewers that there is substantial scope for improving photographs (see below), I think it is important to accept that these two volumes represent a great bargin in terms of the quantity of information presented and the value of the bibliography. This should continue to be a book which students can afford.

As a child I used to pore over the original 3 volumes in the main reference library where I grew up. I dreamed of owning my own copies. Imagine my surprise when I picked up the 5th edition in a bookshop in London some 25 years later, long after my professional involvement with Mammal Biology had ceased.

Over the years Walker's has seen steady incremental improvement particularly moving from generic to specific accounts and extending its scope to cover all Recent Mammals. As I state above there should always be a place for a good value comprehensive survey, BUT....

The Handbook of the Birds of the World project demonstrates what is possible with good quality color printing. Surely the Mammals of the World deserve an equally high-quality approach. Perhaps John Hopkins Press could be persuaded to produce a 'de luxe' 7th edition eliminating the B&W 'photos (particularly of dead specimens), adding extensive colour 'photos, range maps (both 'original' and current), and so forth. There is also scope for a high quality electronic product if nature films illustrating individual species could be licensed. We can live in hope!

everything you needed to know.......1999-10-11

What's great about these books is you can learn about the full diversity of mammals. I like it as a reference so that if one reads about some obscure animal one can look it up and find out what it is, where it is, and how it is. Sadly, mostly, how they are, is endangered due to habitat loss.

Poor production affects comprehensive coverage.......1999-07-22

Obviously, this book would deserve more than 3 stars if one looks only at its informational content. But -as the previous reader rightly stressed- the b&w photos are a scandal. They are old, often confused, unreliable as even a broad identification tool (I mean in the classroom, not in the field). Do you -the publisher- absolutely need to save money on colour printing? OK, some fine line drawing are certainly better. Mammology (especially when this reference is compared with its ornithology counterparts) still wait for a well produced systematic companion.

7th edition suggestions (a re-post).......1999-07-02

1. No reference to photos/figures in text. This sometimes makes it extremely difficult to find the relevant photo/figure (providing that there is one). Considering this is the sixth edition, it is inexcusable not to have included this addition. Photos should be somehow indicated in the index too.

2. Photos "still" in black and white, how much more would color cost? double? I doubt there would be any problem with sales. If the 7th edition was half b & w and half color most wouldn't complain especially if the editions were headed towards all color photos. It is amazing that after 6 editions no progress has been made. Have there been any attempts other then finding attractive cover jacket (color) photos? These photos are deceptive at best. For a colorless book, there should be b & w photos on the jacket.

3. In this edition (6th) the two volumes have more than the listed 1248 pages (closer to 1800, making two massive books).

Book Description

Although they are highly intelligent, ruthless predators, carnivores are increasingly rare. From the dwarf mongoose to the polar bear, carnivores are at once respected and misunderstood, invoking both fear and curiosity in the humans with whom they share their world. Ronald M. Nowak celebrates these fascinating mammals in Walker's Carnivores of the World. This comprehensive guide, featuring 225 illustrations, covers the world's eight terrestrial families of carnivores. Each generic account comprises scientific and common names, number and distribution of species, physical attributes, measurements, hunting and social activity, reproduction, habitat, population dynamics, longevity, and status of threatened species. A thought-provoking overview by David W. Macdonald and Roland W. Kays is packed with results of the latest field and laboratory research on topics ranging from evolutionary history to the adaptive value of fur patterns. Emphasizing the interplay of social life, morphology, and predatory behavior, it provides an up-to-date panorama of the world's carnivores.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent resource.......2006-10-17

All of the books of this series are exceptional resources for biologists (amateur and professional), zoo workers or frequenters, students, teachers, or Discovery Channel watchers. The scope of information includes descriptions of basic biology, like diet, habitat, reproduction, and life cycle, and also has in-depth scientific information for those who would use it as a scholarly resource. I would recommend these books to anyone with an interest in the subject.

The Lost Wolves Of Japan (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)

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The Lost Wolves Of Japan (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)
Brett L. Walker
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0295984929

Book Description

Many Japanese once revered the wolf as Oguchi no Magami, or Large-Mouthed Pure God, but as Japan began its modern transformation wolves lost their otherworldly status and became noxious animals that needed to be killed. By 1905 they had disappeared from the country. In this spirited and absorbing narrative, Brett Walker takes a deep look at the scientific, cultural, and environmental dimensions of wolf extinction in Japan and tracks changing attitudes toward nature through Japan's long history. He discusses prominent Japanese naturalists, their theories of wolf extinction, and the development of Japan's scientific discipline of ecology, looking at how nation-building and industrialization in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries reconfigured relationships with the natural world in ways that led to the extinction of wolves.

Grain farmers once worshiped wolves at shrines and left food offerings near their dens, beseeching the elusive canine to protect their crops from the sharp hooves and voracious appetites of wild boars and deer. Talismans and charms adorned with images of wolves protected against fire, disease, and other calamities and brought fertility to agrarian communities and to couples hoping to have children. The Ainu people believed that they were born from the union of a wolflike creature and a goddess.

In the eighteenth century, wolves were seen as rabid man-killers in many parts of Japan. Highly ritualized wolf hunts were instigated to cleanse the landscape of what many considered as demons. By the nineteenth century, however, the destruction of wolves had become decidedly unceremonious. To contrast wolf killings in the decades before and after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Walker looks at killings on the island of Hokkaido. The systematic erasure of one of the archipelago's largest carnivores--through poisoning, hired hunters, and a bounty system--elevated humans to spiritual and actual mastery over a part of the natural world.

Book Description

From the giant bottlenosed whale and the West Indian manatee to the crabeater seal and hourglass dolphin, from the pygmy sperm whale to the spotted-necked otter, marine mammals are among the most fascinating--and most watched--of the earth's many animal species. Some, such as dolphins, are known for their intelligence, friendliness toward humans, and surprisingly sophisticated social behavior. In addition, all these animals are sources of fascination for the special adaptations they have undergone for life in and around the water, for their unique methods of communication ("whale song"), and for the endangered status of many species.

Now Ronald M. Nowak offers a comprehensive guide to this fascinating and varied order of mammals. Walker's Marine Mammals of the World includes scientific and common names, the number and distribution of species, measurements and physical traits, habitat, daily and seasonal activity, population dynamics, home range, social life, reproduction, longevity, and status of threatened species.

A foreword by John E. Heyning is engagingly written for the general reader, while a more detailed and substantive introduction by Randall R. Reeves and Brent S. Stewart discusses issues in greater depth for the specialist. Illustrated with more than 140 detailed black and white photographs, this book will be welcomed by marine mammal experts and enthusiasts alike.

Walker's Marsupials of the World (Walker's Mammals)

Average customer rating:

no color photos
The Best Paperback Available

Walker's Marsupials of the World (Walker's Mammals)
Ronald M. Nowak
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0801882222

Book Description

Authoritative and engaging, this volume from the Walker's Mammals series focuses on marsupials, pouched animals whose unusual method of reproduction -- between egg laying and placental birth -- places them in a unique category among mammals.

A comprehensive guide to the biology and distribution of marsupials, this book includes common and scientific names, size and physical traits, habitat and ecology, behavior and social interactions, reproduction, life span, and conservation. The text is coupled with illustrations from the collections of leading photographers and the world's greatest museums. An introduction by marsupial expert Christopher R. Dickman describes the evolution and current status of marsupials and reveals why they add so much intrigue to the natural world.

Customer Reviews:

no color photos.......2007-03-29

I was let down when it arrived because the images are older B/W shots, and on the small side. Not so good for doing research for a story, or to learn about the animals. Scholarship wise, it was competent, but not pleasant reading. If you want dry facts in a awkward writing style, this is the book.

The Best Paperback Available.......2006-05-21

Did you know that Queen Isabella was interested in the marsupials, or that it was once believed that marsupials copulated nasally and sneezed the newborn into their pouches?

"Walkers' Marsupials of the World" is a handsome, scholarly work well suited for the amateur or generalist. Its overall qualities outweigh its few quirks, and I can strongly recommend the edition to all but children and post-graduate level specialists.

This scholarly and informative book, which is suited to a high-school or above reading level, consists of an entertaining opening monograph by Christopher Dickman on topics germane to marsupials as a group, and a comprehensive main body by Ronald Nowak describing in detail all living and recent genera.

The section heads of the 42 page Introduction include: Taxonomy & Evolution, Morphology, Reproduction, Distribution & Diversity, Diet, Life History, Economic & Ecologic Importance, and Conservation, as well as References.

The Introduction is written mainly from an ecological and taxonomic viewpoint. While the physiological specializations of the group as a whole, and certain developments, such as the unique dentition of the Diprototont subgroup (i.e., Koalas, & `Roos as opposed to Opossums, Devils & Bandicoots) are mentioned in the text, there are no line drawings of skeletons or any anatomical diagrams. Pouch anatomy and specializations of the digits are described in the text, but there are only a few photographs of young suckling, none of birthing, and only a few insets in the main section showing external foot morphology. I, for one, have always been fascinated by the "two-thumbed/three fingered hand" of the Koala, for example. But there is little attention to anatomical detail.

There are over 140 black and white photographs in the book, almost all of individual live specimens. While keeping the price reasonable, the lack of color makes the work a bit drab and definitely unsuitable for children.

The main text examines each of the known marsupial genera, with at least one photo per genus, including the tragically lost Tasmanian "tiger" and all known (recent) species are named. Fossil forms are excluded.

There is no cladistic analysis, but the text and a table in the introduction serve as a classification in outline form, and taxonomic issues, such as the phylogenetic position of the "Monito del Monte" (a South American enigma that may be more closely related to Australasian groups than to the American opossums) are addressed.

The book does treat the Marsupials as consisting of seven groups of ordinal rank, an improvement over the traditional lumping of all groups into just one order. Overall mammalian taxonomy is in such a flux now, that the work is reluctant to make any authoritative statements, choosing a reasonable middle ground. As the work is fully noted, and references at least as recent as 2003 are in the bibliographies, those interested in such matters will be well guided in their own research.

Given that there are no maps, no drawings of internal or reproductive anatomy, no illustrations of such fantastic extinct forms as the marsupial "lion" Thylacoleo, or any other visual aids except the black and white "field-guide" photos, it is absolutely bizarre that the editors included a bare-boned appendix giving the geological timeline back to the Permian and four pages of metric/U.S. conversions with a 47 inch/1200 mm ruler (broken up into 10 segments to fit the page width!) instead.

Nevertheless, the paperback edition is well worth its price at pennies per page, and I would rate it four and a half stars.

Animals of the World - "Mammals of America" - "Mammals of Other Lands"

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Animals of the World - "Mammals of America" - "Mammals of Other Lands"

Manufacturer: Garden City Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VPR0SE

Product Description

4to - over 9 3/4" - 12" tall. Decorative cloth. 335pp + 354pp, profusely illustrated. 4 color plates by Rungius.

Animals of the World Mammals of America.

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Animals of the World Mammals of America.
J. WALKER MCSPADDEN
Manufacturer: Garden City Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J540G6

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Animals of the world: "Mammals of America," "Mammals of other lands."
J. Walker McSpadden
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00005VEJL

A Certain Curve of Horn: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola

Average customer rating:

Fantastic Post Colonial History
thorough but boring account
Wildlife & War

A Certain Curve of Horn: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola
John Frederick Walker
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, and Primates

ASIN: 0871138581

Book Description

A compelling story of exploration and adventure, politics and war, told through the quest for one of the most purely majestic of Africa's animals, caught amid the upheavals and brutal savagery of Angola's wars

The great animals of Africa have long been under siege—once routinely slaughtered as trophies by big-game hunters, their habitats are now slowly being choked off by the relentless encroachment of human development, and increasingly the efforts to preserve them are hostage to the warfare that ravages the continent. In A Certain Curve of Horn, veteran journalist John Frederick Walker tells the story of one of the most revered and endangered of these regal beasts: the giant sable antelope of Angola, a majestic, coal-black quadruped with breathtaking curved horns over five feet long. It is an enthralling and tragic tale of exploration and adventure, politics and war, the brutal realities of life in Africa today and the bitter choices of conflicting conservation strategies.

A Certain Curve of Horn traces the sable's emergence as a highly sought-after natural history prize before the First World War, and follows its struggle to survive in a war zone fought over by the troops of a half-dozen nations, and its transformation into a political symbol and conservation icon. As he follows the trail of this mysterious animal, Walker interweaves the stories of the adventurers, scientists, and warriors who have come under the thrall of the beast, and how their actions would shape the course of the history of the giant sable antelope and the history of the war-torn nation that is its home.

Culminating with a heart-pounding voyage into the heart of rebel-held Angola in search of the first scientific confirmation of the animal's existence in decades, A Certain Curve of Horn is a thrilling blend of history, natural science, and adventure—and a fascinating look into the world of a magnificent beast that has haunted the imaginations of hunters and naturalists around the globe for generations.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Post Colonial History.......2005-10-15

This book is mainly about the giant sable. But even more interesting are the descriptions of Angola, the history of the country during Portugese rule and the descent into civil war. I love it.

thorough but boring account.......2005-07-13

a very tedious, exhaustive treatise of african colonialism, politics, war, and oh, did i mention, the search for the giant sable antelope. having had interest in this magnificent, but rare species, i had picked the book up at the local library hoping it would divulge its secrets and whereabouts. instead, over 80% of the book deals with the aforementioned topics and the author tries hard to interlace this history with the sable, unsuccessfully i might add. there is so much detail and tedium that if i wanted a historical book i would have bought one. he goes on to great lenghts the describe written and biographical accounts of explorers and hunters that i could barely keep my heavy lids open to continue reading. bottom line: best left for the armchair historian rather than naturalist.

Wildlife & War.......2003-03-06

Casting the giant sable antelope as a modern day unicorn, John Frederick Walker's Certain Curvature of Horn is at once a tale of mystery, wildlife biology, and potboiling politics. Anyone with an interest in Africa's megafauna will enjoy this carefully researched saga of the sable's precarious existence through Angola's long civil war. The first part of the book is not for the squeamish as one antelope after another is felled by trophy hunters and museum collectors. Walker's obvious reverence for the iconic beasts makes each shot and each death feel like a personal loss. But it is the mano a mano of Angola's warring leaders - Eduardo dos Santos and Jonas Savimbi - in the book's second half that causes the most discomfiture as the conservation world agonizes over the sables' fate on battlefields that have bled for over 30 years. The question of the sable's survival among so much human bloodshed is the book's big unanswered question. Walker tries mightily to get a flesh and blood glimpse of the endangered animal, making numerous trips to Angola and finally, a furtive dash into the war zone itself. Not to give away too much, his disappointment is tempered by what seems like the end to Angola's civil war and the beginnings of new animal sanctuaries where decimated wildlife, like the giant sable, can begin anew. Walker manages to make you care for a magnificent animal that like the country it symbolizes, is a tough survivor.

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