Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide

by Louise H. Emmons, François Feer (Illustrator)

Neotropical Rainforest Mammals , the first color-illustrated field guide to these marvelously diverse and elusive creatures, has enjoyed tremendous success since its initial publication in 1990. Ecotourists and field researchers alike have applauded this guide's compact size, light weight, and durability. More important, they have appreciated its clear and concise accounts of the mammals of this broad region. Each species account includes information on identifying characteristics, similar species, vocalizations, behavior and natural history, geographic range, conservation status, local names, and references to the scientific literature.

In this completely revised and updated second

A total of 226 species are treated in full (206 were included in the first edition).

All species accounts retained from the first edition have been updated to include the most recent research.

All 195 maps showing the distribution and geographic range of each species have been revised to reflect the most current information.

Twenty-nine beautiful color plates illustrate more than 220 species (including significant color variants between males and females or adults and young). Seven black-and-white plates contain more than 60 images of individual species, mainly bats.

A compact disc of mammal vocalizations—crucial to identifying nocturnal and otherwise cryptic animals that sometimes may be heard rather than seen—will be available for purchase separately.

Praise for the first

"If you can't go to the Central and South American rain forests to see firsthand their threatened ecosystems, here is the next best thing."— Washington Post Book World

"A large amount of information is presented concisely and in a way that is easy to use."— Choice

"The presentation and wealth of information contained in this field guide is outstanding and will satisfy the needs of both the 'tourist' and 'researcher' traveling to the Neotropics."— Canadian Field-Naturalist

Genres: Nature, Reference

396 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 1990

About the author

Louise H. Emmons is an American zoologist known for her extensive research on tropical rainforest mammals, especially rodents. She has conducted fieldwork in Gabon, Borneo, Peru, and Bolivia. Emmons earned her PhD from Cornell University, focusing on African rainforest squirrels. She is the author of Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide, a widely used reference. Emmons has described several new taxa, including genera and species of spiny rats, marsupials, and oryzomyine rodents. In recognition of her contributions, two species have been named after her, including Euryoryzomys emmonsae, also known as Emmons’s rice rat.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to know the author through her scientific publications on ecology, in particular her research on carnivore co-existence in Peru. Dr Emmons is also an authority on mammals in general and a rodent expert. This field guide was an unexpected find, how it escaped my attention all these years is rather puzzling. Anyway the book's focus on rainforest is quite unique, as most wildlife guides are merely geographically delimited, and not by type of biome.

Richly illustrated with drawings and densely packed with details on each species not just on basics like physical description, but also behavior, habitats and ecological niche. If there is one detraction for me it is the lack of total counts for each mammalian order and classification in the checklist. Otherwise this is as perfect a reference guide as they come, with even a nice discussion on taxonomy and biogeography at the end to round things off.