Customer Reviews

The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians

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At a moment when amphibians are undergoing declines and disappearances and being held up as indicators of environmental health, the appearance of this book could not be more timely. While there are a number of textbooks that capably treat the biology of amphibians, their coverage of behavior and ecology is usually brief and superficial.

Neither adjective fits this well organized book. I am sure some will end up using it in support of graduate and upper level undergraduate courses, however I would hesitate to call it a textbook. Instead it reads much more like a literature review, or really a set of literature reviews. Each is enormously comprehensive and all are written accessibly given their subject matter. In the areas I know best, the author has gone to great lengths to be both thorough and balanced in his presentation of competing evidence and shows shrewd judgment in his conclusions. The frequent use of figures and other graphics from primary literature is also effective.

It is increasingly uncommon for an academic to dedicate this degree of effort to a single publication. The scholarship is extraordinarily thorough and the writing invites the reader to plunge ahead. Even specialists will find it amazing how much work is being done on amphibians and in such a wide array of topics. That one person could master all of this literature is staggering. For the rest of us that have not, this book is a tremendous bootstrap to amphibian literacy.

If you are interested in the ecology and behavior of amphibians this is the book.

Have you ever thought about why the bullfrogs in your garden pond croak all summer long but the wood frogs in the vernal pool down the road are only noisy for a week? Ever spot a salamander walking around on the bottom of an ice-covered pond and wonder how he could possibly do that? Such is the depth of the information you will find in this book. From the global scale to the details of physiology, Kentwood Wells has covered it all. With a smooth and easy-to-read writing style, excellent use of photographs to highlight and clarify concepts and clear interpretations of scientific research this book should appeal to the layperson just as much as it will appeal to academics. Truly a work that should be on the shelves of every life science academic, naturalist or backyard nature-watcher.

The author invested more than 20yrs in its making, and I would have to invest equal time to write a review that compliments this book enough! To say this book is too technical blows my mind (other reviewer). I have rarely seen a book that meshes "technical" information in such a readable fashion as Kentwood Wells has done in this monumental volume.

No other book on amphibian ecology or behavior comes even close to the breadth and rigor of this work. The extraordinary wealth of real, peer-reviewed data that the author has gathered is simply staggering, and its seamless incorporation into the material is a testament to Kent Wells' unique grasp of amphibian biology. As amphibian populations face unprecedented challenges globally, it is more crucial than ever that we understand how amphibians interact with their environment, and each other, so that we may better preserve and protect their remaining populations in meaningful ways. I have no doubt that this book will remain the ultimate treatise for this task.

chegou 15 dias antecipado ao dia marcado. bem embalado e com o conteudo esperado. fiquei muitooooooooo satisfeita. parabens!!!

Amphibians might be considered to be a somewhat neglected sector of the herp hobby, which itself, unfortunately, is still looked upon as being on the fringes by many people. In reality, most types of reptiles and amphibians in captivity are best treated as display animals to be admired as a part of a functioning ecosystem. The challenge in keeping them healthy and content lies in recreating these ecosystems as faithfully as possible, so that the animals, in the most ideal case, do not realize they are in captivity! Some species, like poison dart frogs, may be rather demanding, whereas others, like fire bellied toads or tiger salamanders, may be surprisingly simple to keep. Some, like the tropical palm salamanders (Bolitoglossa) seem to have some very particular requirements that make them difficult captives even for specialists. But in every case, a working knowledge of how they live in the wild can definitely be a great asset to the aspiring herpetoculturist, as well as anyone who likes to observe them in their natural habitats.

This book is divided into chapters on various topics about amphibians such as their classification, geographical distribution patterns, feeding and reproductive behavior, survival strategies, conservation issues, and so on, and does a very good job of compiling all of the latest scientific findings in each of these areas. At first I thought that some of the material went a bit over the head of the average amateur naturalist or herp hobbyist like myself, but upon further inspection I realized that much of it is quite accessible to the average reader. There are quite a few illustrations and pictures demonstrating unusual and provocative behaviors. One disappointing issue to me was the lack of color photos of the animals and their habitats. The pictures are still quite good, but fail to totally do justice to these creatures when it comes to such topics as aposematic coloration, camouflage, etc. Additionally, some color photos might have done more to draw the attention of the average reader to these fascinating creatures, many of which are threatened by various environmental problems, not all of which have yet been clearly identified. The section of the book addressing these problems is compelling reading to anyone interested in these animals, but leaves the reader realizing that there is still a lot to be learned about how to solve them.

In spite of some minor quibbles that I have mentioned, I believe this book is a superb reference, which contains the kind of material you wish you would find under "Amphibians" in the Encyclopedia Brittanica, but wouldn't.