The New Neotropical Companion

by John C. Kricher

The acclaimed guide to the ecology and natural history of the American tropics--now fully updated and expanded



The New Neotropical Companion is the completely revised and expanded edition of a book that has helped thousands of people to understand the complex ecology and natural history of the most species-rich area on Earth, the American tropics. Featuring stunning color photos throughout, it is a sweeping and cutting-edge account of tropical ecology that includes not only tropical rain forests but also other ecosystems such as cloud forests, rivers, savannas, and mountains. This is the only guide to the American tropics that is all-inclusive, encompassing the entire region's ecology and the amazing relationships among species rather than focusing just on species identification.

The New Neotropical Companion is a book unlike any other. Here, you will learn how to recognize distinctive ecological patterns of rain forests and other habitats and to interpret how these remarkable ecosystems function--everything is explained in clear and engaging prose free of jargon. You will also be introduced to the region's astonishing plant and animal life.

Informative and entertaining, The New Neotropical Companion is a pleasurable escape for armchair naturalists, and visitors to the American tropics will want to refer to this book before, during, and after their trip.

Covers all of tropical America
Describes the species and habitats most likely to be observed by visitors
Includes every major ecosystem, from lowland rain forests to the high Andes
Features a wealth of color photos of habitats, plants, and animals

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Science, Ecology, Biology, Birds

432 pages, Paperback

First published July 5, 2008

About the author

John C. Kricher, Professor of Biology, Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Nancy Deaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed and interesting guide to the Neotropics.

[Carol Dix · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that I first was drawn to for the birds I was hoping to see in Costa Rica - but the comprehensive and readable format about the entire ecosystem of the neotropical region had me mesmerized. It is a big book in print copy, and much easier to see the photos, still, reading it on the iPad allowed me to take it with me and be able to read about the animals, plants, trees, and yes, birds while we were in Costa Rica and Panama.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book, chalked full of great information. I learned a lot, but I do suggest cross-checking some facts with other information as I ran across several (at times glaring) errors in the text. For example, stating that two-toed and three-toed sloths can be differentiated by the number of claws on the hindlimb with the three-toed having three and the two-toed having four. Both types of sloth have three toes on the hindlimb. Or that Tapaculos are only found in South America whereas the Silvery-fronted Tapaculo is endemic to Costa Rica and Panama (in Central America). Or that the Black-and-white owl almost only eats bats whereas they are secondary in their diet to insects.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A revisit of one of the masterpieces of nature guides out there. In an expanded and more thorough edition of his original work, Kricher serves again as an expert guide to the Neotropics, covering not just the species of animals found, but the ecological interactions between plants and animals, the cycling of nutrients in the ecosystems and the impact of humans in the deep past up to the present. Ostensibly a non-technical book aimed at a general audience, the author points the reader to a full blown textbook he had also written, for an even deeper dive. Duly noted by this avid naturalist/ecologist reader.

[Paul Norwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts are very good, mostly the sidebars and focused chapters (ant specialists, bats, fruits, etc.).

Some parts, like the bird section, tend towards the tedious list syndrome (description of bird, even though there's a photo right there, sentence on the range of the bird where a map would save time and words, number of birds in family, etc.). Many photos are simply not useful or good, or repetitive. Not enough maps.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, half a star docked because in places the book suddenly thinks it's a textbook with extraneous vocabulary added and bolded. Mostly, though, it's a really fun pre-trip guide full of ecological tidbits and beautiful pictures. One of the various river valleys and wetlands mentioned might have to be my next big adventure....

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource on ecology and biodiversity of America’s tropics . The guidebook is fascinating and easy to read, not at all like a textbook. There are also beautiful plant and animal photographs which complement the writing.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be hard to imagine a better layperson's guide to neotropical ecology. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[Ken-ichi]

I'll probably return to this before trips to the neotropics. So far it seems like a good overview of some of the basics, though sadly no help in understanding tropical plant diversity.

[Mackenzie Alderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not much I can say about THE neotropical ecology book... highlight was of course the bird chapter