Wildlife Books

Granted, this is not the type of book one would normally 'just happen upon'. However, if you are looking specifically for information on "Ursus Americanus", the American Black Bear, this is the one you want. I have been involved in black bear research for over 10 years. This is the most detailed, well photographed, and up to date book I have found. Did I mention it is also enjoyable to read?! The combined effort of the researcher and author resulted in an excellent book. While reading this book, you'll come to learn the behavior, life cycles, lauguage and habitat of the black bear. Take advantage of others' years of experience, and photography; take their knowledge. You'll come away with a complete understanding of black bears that you will not get from any other resource

I'm the author of Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters, and there aren't many books about bears I can recommend, but this is one of them. It doesn't portray black bears as demons or Disneyland characters. It's 100% accurate and the writing is top notch: very engaging. If you can only buy one book about black bears, this is it. If you can buy two books, add A Shadow In The Forest: Idaho's Black Bears, by two Idaho biologists.

A must for anybody who loves great cats and art: a book full of stories and especially awesome photos, sketches and paintings of these wonderful creatures. The paintings are so incredibly realistic that at times one has to look closely to make sure it is not just a photo. A definite winner !

They say never judge a book by its cover,well friends you can in this case.A beautiful oil painting of a jaguar on its cover says it all, this is a must have book for any animal lovers specially wild cats, art students and even professional artists. Book is loaded incredible stories and killer artworks of Simon Combes.I enjoyed it every single page and I did not realize that I end up reading the entire book in one sitting.I was so captivated by the stories, and I enjoyed the art work of Simon Combes, well worth the money.

I cannot say enough about these books...my kids have enjoyed them now for 4 years... and every little friend that comes over loves them too. We got three of them as a gift (animals, bugs, and sea life)and they have gotten more use than any other activity books we've ever received. Older and younger kids read/look at them together too since some animals are easier to find and some are very challenging (big kids can read while little kids find too). Great activity for kids by themselves or with parents!!!

WOW! This is one of those books that screams for attention! The illustrations are incredibly detailed and intense! We've used this book to learn geography - the locations of the animals and my oldest daughter taught herself how to read by searching for the animals in this book!

Use this book for the relunctant reader....it is definitely a book that will enhance a parent and child relationship - if the parent and child search together!

ENJOY!

I was lucky enough to stumble across this book at a book sale in Colorado. It's a great introduction to learning about dolphins and similar cetaceans. There is even a helpful taxonomic chart in the appendix. The book is split into 3 basic sections - 'The Nature of Dolphins', species information, and human impacts on dolphins. You would assume from the "Greenpeace" title that the book would be full of subjective descriptions, but surprisingly they stick to just the biological facts during the first 2 sections of the book. That makes it a great choice as a beginning cetacean biology book for anyone.
The first section teaches about Cetacean evolution, dolphin anatomy (including an anatomy diagram), behavior, echolocation, intelligence/communication, and similar dolphin basics. It also dispels and discusses the real facts about some of the popular romantic myths about their intelligence and social behavior.
The second section gives details about each of the species within the Delphinidae family (dolphins, porpoises, and killer whales) worldwide. Like a field guide, it is split up into different categories based on habitat location. For example, all arctic species are presented in one section, all coastal species are in another section, etc. At least one color picture or sketch is given for each species, along with size and color description, habitat description, and a few paragraphs about what makes that species unique. I found this section of the book the most helpful.
The third section of the book covers the impact that humans have had on dolphins. This is the only section with obvious bias and subjective wording. The book was published in 1990, so a couple of the facts may be a little outdated now, but still helpful to know. Most of the human practices mentioned are still going on and thus still relevant. Some of the pictures in this section are very graphic and might disturb children or adults. This section of the book covers hunting practices around the world, secondary dolphin mortality caused by the fishing industry, U.S. and Soviet military use of dolphins, captivity for entertainment purposes (such as Sea World), and finishes with descriptions of dolphin conservation projects worldwide by Greenpeace and scientists.

I am in the process of considering a career in marine biology, and found this book helpful as a beginning point on my quest to learn about dolphins. The wording is easy to understand, so I think even people with just a casual interest in cetaceans would learn a lot from it. If you can find it, I recommend buying this book for a good overview of dolphins/toothed whales.

As anyone might expect from the Greenpeace stable, the emphasis here is on conservation - and so it should be! Commencing with a chapter headed "What is a Dolphin?", I cannot think of a better way to start any book on any factual subject than by describing precisely what that subject is. So, having left the reader in no doubt as to what this book is all about, we then go from strength to strength as it describes the creature's; Evolution, Family Tree, Anatomy, Behaviour, Swimming, Relations, Intelligence, Echolocation and instances of Stranding. And that's just from part one entitled "The Nature of Dolphins."

From this point onwards, the reader benefits from having just received a great education into these endearing mammals. It is, therefore, with a greater understanding of the creatures in general that we now move on to learn about, All Ocean Species, Artic Species and Northern Ocean Species. It is here we encounter the Pakistan and Yangtze River Dolphins and the even rarer Vaquita from Mexico (to mention but three). Along the way we are taught of man's threat - both deliberate and accidental, and that threat is quite disturbing.

Altogether, this is a book packed with information supported by outstanding colour photography and diagrams. It is a book which brings home a message loud and clear and is one that should be read by anyone who has ever been thrilled by the sight of Dolphin.

NM

I buy two wall calendars each year - one for home and one for work. This is the one I put up at work. The photos are amazing and diverse.

These photographs are outstanding in subject and artistry.
I also recommend a book that donates a portion of their funds to help animals in no-kill centers until they can be adopted.
The book is 516 Sensational Cat Quotes, Proverbs, Quips and Jokes for Scrapbooking, Crafting and Fun.
I LOVE my calendar!

We have several Lang Elliot CD's, and we and the children enjoy listening to them as we drive as a change of pace from music. I use them, surprisingly to most, to keep awake when driving at night, especially "Voices of the Swamp".

Delighted,

Peter Gareis

There we were, 3 1/2 miles from our vehicle, snug in our geodesic dome tent having backpacked into Monongahela National Forest in WV in August 1981. The setting was idyllic, on the bank of bubbling, scenic Seneca Creek.

In the wee hours of the night, we were awoken by a loud, repeated bellowing. This was no cow. Nor was it a wolf or a coyote. What type of animal could have made that disturbing, haunting noise? Our imaginations ran wild. Was it a sasquatch?

Absolutely beside ourselves, we frantically scanned the edge of the forest with our flashlight for any signs of our nemesis. Fortunately, nothing was seen. I lit our Coleman lantern and left it aglow. Our hope was that it might serve as a deterrent to our erstwhile attacker.

25 years on, I ordered Lang Elliott's Guide to Wildlife Sounds, half wondering if somehow we could bring closure to that terrifying experience. I put the disc into our CD player. Five seconds into track 16, there it was! Mystery solved! And, yes, we had reason to be concerned...

In August 1983, we were confronted with a lesser mystery. We'd arrived at Thompson Falls in northwest Montana long after dark. After pitching our tent and securing our camp for the night, a mysterious sound came from the woods above. What was it? Sixteen seconds into track 29, we now know it to be a barred owl.

This is a great disc. You'll hear a lot of familiar sounds that will give you that, "A ha! Now I know what it is," feeling. Each track is thirtysome seconds long. And, the pictures in the accompanying book are exquisite.

This is a beautiful little book, a real jewel that makes providing a pleasing habitat for both our wild friends and ourselves an easy task. It certainly inspired me to add more habitat plants to my garden, and I reap the benefits daily. I especially loved how she put the plant photos on the outside page edges so I can flip through and relocate the information I want quickly. This book should also be useful for many people outside the SF Bay Area. Providing wildlife habitat is so important now.

This beautifully organized book provides an easy-to-follow guide for establishing butterfly, bird, and insect habitats in your own garden. Host plants, nectar plants, and food sources (both native and non-native) including annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and vines are listed for both butterflies and birds. Maintenance of the habitat garden is detailed with specific suggestions. Additional sections explain the importance of encouraging beneficial insects, the beauty and role of ponds in the garden, and special advice on "how to" start your own habitat garden. Color photographs provide a visual guide while spot illustrations and quotations provide inspiration and encouragement. A "must" for any Bay Area gardener.

I purchased my copy of this book over 10 years ago. Being an amature Ethologist and ardent back packer, I have continously found this field guide very complete and easy to use. Each section gives overviews of general species charactoristics. Specific data is direct, to the point, and covers a broad spectrum of information. Excellent color plates can easily be used to quickly narrow down cassification. This handy book is far superior to any other Field Guide on the market for meeting the challenge of identification of any wildlife encountered localy or on the trail. Why carry a pack full of books and manuals when you can have everything in this great book. Our only mis-fortune is that it is currently not in print, But if you get your hands on a copy, KEEP IT! I am sure you will treasure it as much as I treasure my copy.

I have had my copy of the Eastern edition of this book for over 6 years. I own many field guides, but this is the one I turn to time and time again. Great pictures, logical layout, comprehensive coverage. I'm finding more opportunities to travel West, so now I'm looking for the companion. It's a treasure.

This field guide is a non-fiction guide.Which is a resource that you can learn from.This guide teaches you all the different types of animals and plants.For example mammals,birds,reptiles,amphbians,insects,and marine mollusks.
The book explains their habitats,where the animals and plants live.This book also gives fascinating facts about plants,animals,and even fungi.For example did tou know that the only animal that can turn its stomach inside out is the starfish!
The book has over 15,000 color photographs with explantions.I recommened it to people who love to learn about nature.I really love this book because I learned many new things.This book would be useful for people who love nature and learning about all the different kinds of animals and plants we share the world with.The vocabulary is challenging for kids.I recommend you have a dictionary handy when you're reading it at home.

Larry Cruz age:11

This book is lavishly illustrated with full color photographs of several species on the right of each page spread. The facing page gives a brief description of each species including its size, habits, habitat and geographic area of the US in which it is found. I was surprised to find that, in addition to birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, the book also covers fish, plants, and insects. It is great for the amateur naturalist who just wants to find out what kind of lizard or owl he/she saw on a hike. There is not a lot of information on each animal because that would make the book too heavy to lift (it is a field guide after all)! And of course some varieties had to be left out, for instance, with hundreds of kinds of spiders in the US they could not show all of them and kept it down to one page. I was a wee bit disappointed not to find a large caterpillar that I had hoped to identify. Someone who was particularly interested in one type of wildlife might want a second guide to expand on, for instance, butterflies or wildflowers. Overall, it is an attractive and helpful book to have on hand to identify wildlife.

Societies have hunted whales over the centuries. In "Harpoon: Into the Heart of Whaling" environmental reporter Andrew Darby covers the history of the commercial whaling industry around the world, from early wooden arrows to the grenade-tipped harpoons of the Japanese industry. Even more important is a survey of international debates about whaling and its ethics, making "Harpoon: Into the Heart of Whaling" a top pick for any library strong in environmental history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

"Harpoon" does a wonderful job of exploring whaling from the hey day of the 19th century to the factory fleets of the mid 20th to the current days of "scientific" whaling.

The book is roughly broken into sections according to whale species, and one of the best parts of "Harpoon" is reading about the different major whale species. Darby gives us a glimpse into the lives of these whales, from the days when one could see Right whales off the Australian coasts every day up until the current day, when scientific seach planes are hard pressed to find them.

In addition to telling us the whales, and the nuts and bolts of whaling itself, Darby follows the evolution of the International Whaling Committee, and all the diplomatic drama around trying to preserve, utilize, and protect the world's whales.

This was an incredibly informative book, and not a page went by where I didn't learn something new. While very anti-whaling, Darby does not demonize whalers themselves, up to the point of interviewing retired whalers themselves. This is an excellent read anyone who is interested in whales, whaling, or nautical history would enjoy.