Wildlife Books

Ken Alvarez has written a masterful account of the Florida Panther Recovery program. His exhaustive research, his elegant prose, his penetrating insights make this book a significant contribution to endangered species literature and an indispensable resource for those of us working in panther recovery today. Alvarez has recorded for posterity a blow by blow description of how a recovery effort with massive public support and funding was stalled by agency inertia and infighting and by the relentless development pressure of late twentieth century Florida --the real world counterpart of Carl Hiaasen novels. He chronicles the victories and defeats and tackles the hard questions of how endangered species recovery programs can be made more effective.

His insights into agency bureaucracies that have little interest in endangered species and little knowledge of small population management are as relevant today as when they were written:

"And so it goes...the actors come and go; decisions are reversed, often without explanation; no one is in charge; the different agencies and factions pursue their separate objectives; motives are sometimes discernible and sometimes not; the recovery program is a case of strategic aversion and operational chaos, organized only to the extent that it can avoid any action deemed undesirable by its component factions, as they project an image of industry and purpose while consuming a perennial flow of revenue." Twilight of the Panther, p.171.

Ken Alvarez has written a masterful account of the Florida Panther Recovery program. His exhaustive research, his elegant prose, his penetrating insights make this book a significant contribution to endangered species literature and an indispensable resource for those of us working in panther recovery today. Alvarez has recorded for posterity a blow by blow description of how a recovery effort with massive public support and funding was stalled by agency inertia and infighting and by the relentless development pressure of late twentieth century Florida --the real world counterpart of Carl Hiaasen novels. He chronicles the victories and defeats and tackles the hard questions of how endangered species recovery programs can be made more effective.

His insights into agency bureaucracies that have little interest in endangered species and little knowledge of small population management are as relevant today as when they written:

"And so it goes...the actors come and go; decisions are reversed, often without explanation; no one is in charge; the different agencies and factions pursue their separate objectives; motives are sometimes discernible and sometimes not; the recovery program is a case of strategic aversion and operational chaos, organized only to the extent that it can avoid any action deemed undesirable by its component factions, as they project an image of industry and purpose while consuming a perennial flow of revenue." Twilight of the Panther, p.171.

This book is perfect for snorkellers and divers, both novice and advanced. It is also very interesting for non-divers as it gives a glimpse into the fantastic underwater world!

This book is a must have for those who are truly interested in the world beneath the sea. As a beginner I found the book very helpful in studying the smaller inhabitants of the coral reef.

i have purchased many underwater photo books and this is my favorite . i also love jim church's guide to nikonos systems but the two should not be compared because they have a different subject matter. this book is geared more towards film systems than digital. the pictures are a great break from the usual because they are mostly from scotland and other less common areas. this book stands alone in its style. i was very impressed when i checked it out at a book store and had to have it. P.S. it was recently published and is modern in its content.

This is a very satisfactory book for three reasons: (1) The text is well written, no-nonsense, to the point, and technically accurate as far as I can tell, (2) the photographs are the best that I have seen so far and, more importantly, they complement the text, and (3) it emphasizes photography in temperate waters. Because I live in the temperate zone and cannot afford to casually visit tropical reefs, this aspect is particularly interesting. The only thing that I would improve in this book is to expand the discussion on evaluating mixed-light scenes (p. 141). From my land experience, this makes or breaks a photograph. Because this book assumes little or no prior knowledge of photography, this is a point worth emphasizing. Also, I find incident light meters indispensable on land, are they usable in underwater photography? Overall, this book is a great value.

This is an invaluable reference work and a work of art. Day covers extinct mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and even plants from all over the world, not only species but subspecies as well. All species and subspecies are illustrated, several with excellent color illustrations that are often very beautiful.

Each species and subspecies dealt with is covered as thoroughly as historical and scientific literate allows. The common, genus, and species names are provided, along with any alternate common names. Family relationships to living species are discussed as well, as in some cases closely related species alive today provide the best information on some species. Information on the discovery and co-history with humans of the various animals and plants are provided, showing how each organism became extinct. Though many species and subspecies are often poorly known, much of what was recorded on their life habits, including habitat, mating habits, food sources, and natural enemies is detailed as well.

Day covers not only well known extinct animals, such as the elephant bird of Madagascar, the moas, the dodo, the passenger pigeon, the great auk, the aurochs, and the quagga, often with highly detailed information. He also covers many much lesser known creatures, such as the Hispaniolan hutia, the Round Island boa, the Stephen Island wren, the Antarctic Wolf, and the Cuban red macaw. They are no less deserving of coverage, and make for interesting reading.

It is sad to see how many of the world's unique creatures have been lost over the centuries of human civilization. To get some appreciation of creatures almost literally "dead as the dodo" purchase this book. I highly recommend it.

This is an invaluable reference work and a work of art. Day covers extinct mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and even plants from all over the world, not only species but subspecies as well. All species and subspecies are illustrated, several with excellent color illustrations that are often very beautiful.

Each species and subspecies dealt with is covered as thoroughly as historical and scientific literate allows. The common, genus, and species names are provided, along with any alternate common names. Family relationships to living species are discussed as well, as in some cases closely related species alive today provide the best information on some species. Information on the discovery and co-history with humans of the various animals and plants are provided, showing how each organism became extinct. Though many species and subspecies are often poorly known, much of what was recorded on their life habits, including habitat, mating habits, food sources, and natural enemies is detailed as well.

Day covers not only well known extinct animals, such as the elephant bird of Madagascar, the moas, the dodo, the passenger pigeon, the great auk, the aurochs, and the quagga, often with highly detailed information. He also covers many much lesser known creatures, such as the Hispaniolan hutia, the Round Island boa, the Stephen Island wren, the Antarctic Wolf, and the Cuban red macaw. They are no less deserving of coverage, and make for interesting reading.

It is sad to see how many of the world's unique creatures have been lost over the centuries of human civilization. To get some appreciation of creatures almost literally "dead as the dodo" purchase this book. I highly recommend it.

Its an excellent book for all nature lovers. The pictures are just awesome. Must buy for all wildlife fans.

This comprehensive history and guide to the lifestyle of the tiger blends folklore and myths with over 200 color, specially commissioned photos of the Bengal Tiger, plus images of its co-predators and prey. Perhaps the most valuable sections of the book lie in its details on the habitat and range of all tigers in the world. Highly recommended as the definitive tiger guide.

J. Frank Dobie is a wonderful non fiction writer. Everything he writes
is new and vibrant even though it was first written in 1947. Amazing!
Great book for Texans. Great book for anyone wanting to know all about our coyotes. Amazing animals. And they are only found in the Americas.

I really loved this book. I bought it because I was doing research on Coyotes for a novel I was writing, and I thought I would skim this, but I read it word for word instead. Perhaps because I already had an interest in coyotes, but I came home every night looking forward to reading more. If you love animals, you'll love this book. Well written, easy to ready, interesting stories, etc.

McIntyre chronicles the history of persecution of our nation's magnificent predator, the wolf. HOW could people have these views of such incredibly intelligent and social animals which STILL persist today?

Education is so necessary and SO MISSING in our schools about how the federal government has aided and abetted the livestock industry in the extermination of our nation's precious assets, it's native predators.

A Must Read!

An extremely comprehensive history of American sentiment about the wolf. This book does an excellent job of covering the various aspects of changing legislation on the wolf at both the federal and state levels. It also thoroughly cites chants, essays, poems and treatises that map the varying American views about the wolf. Do not look for detailed biological information in this book, however, this is a study on human attitudes as they have affected the wolf. A good read for anyone interested in conservation, or the plight of the wolf in specific.

We just returned from Panama and Costa Rica and this was the best of all the books I got. Far from complete; but none of the resources are, it was the closest to complete. I really appreciated the layout, the amount of information packed into it, the features on each animal such as where you were most likely to see it, the area it covers (all of Central America which is hard to find) and the size being small enough to carry along on a hike. Good purchase and I will keep it!

I brought this book along with me to Central America and am glad that I did. It's a great little book, with detailed information on different species of wildlife found in Central America, where they are most likely to be seen, and so on. There is also detailed information on different parks to visit and what you may see there.

I used this book along with Central America on a Shoestring by Lonely Planet. You might just buy the book to help plan your trip, or to bring along with you as well. I found that the Watching Wildlife guidebook had a lot of extra information on parks and wildlife not included in the Shoestring guide, so was glad I had it with me. You might find more detailed information on parks in other guidebooks, so I would consider my interests and a guidebook's coverage of parks and wildlife in deciding whether to bring this book in addition to another general guidebook. The book is a tad bit heavier than you might expect, perhaps because of lots of glossy photos. On the other hand, this book can help you identify many animals you may see, and because it includes natural history information on different species, it can serve as a travel guide and natural history guide in one.

Margodt presents the results of his ten year inquiry into the ethical implications of zoos. He carefully weighs the arguments for and against zoos, without denying the intentions actuating his research: concern about the welfare of animals as individuals, not merely as a species. The book is well-informed, subtly argued, and accessively written. I strongly recommend it to anyone concerned with the question of animal welfare.

I entirely agree with the praise by Jane Goodall, Marc Bekoff, Mary Midgley and Stephen Bostock. Margodt has performed an inspiring act of research. The Welfare Ark is a highly informative and intelligible text that can be recommended to anyone concerned about animal welfare and species conservation. Margodt's writing reflects on biodiversity threats and welfare conditions of zoo animals. Within this framework, he questions the indispensability of zoos. He gives elaborate evidence for his standpoint that zoos must be regarded as a last resort. He concludes his solid argumentation with an innovative proposal to adopt a policy that integrates both species preservation and individual animal welfare in all of its aspects. The Welfare Ark should be deemed very useful as a starting point for interesting debate on zoo related matters. Whatever one's position in the zoo debate, this book contains interesting argumentations and many relevant facts on zoos, animal welfare and wildlife issues!

I came to this book as a relative beginner in nature observation, I could pick out the major tree species, but not much more than that. This guide was of tremendous help to me in learning to see relationships between tree types and the soil, exposeur, water, and other plants. The text is focused on Vermont, but I found it very helpful in New Hampshire, and I am sure it would be useful in Maine and New York as well as some of the Great Lakes areas. It is also very beautiful to look at, though some what difficult to read straight through from cover to cover. Take it with you on a hike, or during fly season look at it when you get back.

I hope there are or will be additional books of this type for other areas of the country / world. The authors and artist have set a high standard.

As a resident of Vermont, I found this book to be one of the definitive works about Vermont's natural habitat. It is quite the eyeopener. The interactions of all the natural wonders of the state are completely explained, as well as the definitions of the specific ecosystems found everywhere. With this book I was able to map vernal pools, hemlock swamps and other sensitive habitats around me. Absolutely invaluable.