Ecuador and Its Galápagos Islands: The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide (Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides) [Paperback]

David L. Pearson (Author), Les Beletsky (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides | Publication Date: March 29, 2000

Ecotravellers to Ecuador want to experience tropical forests and other stunning habitats and catch glimpses of exotic wildlife, such as toucans and parrots, monkeys and anteaters, frogs and toads, and crocodiles and snakes. On the Galápagos Islands, curious visitors want to see with their own eyes the exotic, unique, and tame wildlife that stimulated Charles Darwin to formulate the theory of evolution. This book provides the information you need to find, identify, and learn about Ecuador's magnificent animal and plant life. The authors, professional biologists, selected for color illustrations more than 500 of Ecuador's most common insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals--the species you are most likely to see. In one easy-to-carry, entertainingly written, beautifully illustrated book, you will have as constant companion on your journey, information on identification, behavior, habitats, common plants, and parks and reserves in the region.

Key Features
* Includes identifying and location information on the most frequently spotted animals
* Up-to-date information on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of these animals
* Information on Ecuador's habitats and on the most common plants you will encounter
* Brief descriptions of the region's most frequently visited parks and reserves

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...these books would be my first choice as an introduction to the natural environments of these beautiful parts of the world. For those who enjoy well-illustrated field guides, these volumes are a visual treat."
--COPEIA (2001)
"Having recently returned from a wonderful trip to both areas, the arrival of this book just prior to departure could not have been better timed. Chapters deal with essential topics such as the geography, habitats, climate, parks and nature reserves. This is clearly a well researched and easily read book and a very welcome addition to this relatively new series."
--David Clugston, for SCOTTISH BIRD NEWS (December 2000)
"They neatly fill a niche in the travel market, concentrating on the species most likely to be seen, but also covering a wide range of taxa. ...indispensable to all travellers interested in the natural world."
--BTO NEWS
"I have just returned from those Enchanted Isles and found Beletsky's guide omnipresent, dog-eared and tightly clutched in the sea-salted hands of many a visitor. I am surprised that the Sea Lions and Blue Footed Boobies did not have their own copies! This guide is a truly indispensible accessory for those fortunate enough to have visited those Islands of wonder and enchantment. It is also a great whetter of one's appetite! Other books have their strengths, but when push comes to shove, or in this case just going around..., one wants a thorough compliment to one's naturalist (to make all those notations when one gets back home, of course) and also a look into what is to come. Accurate and beautifully illustrated."
--A Reader at AMAZON.COM

From the Author

Even though I'm a professional wildlife biologist, I've always found it difficult while travelling to identify animals I'm not familiar with and to get good, on-site information about them, unless I'm with an expert guide or willing to lug around several heavy books (a bird book, a mammal book, etc.). I've produced the Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guides to help solve this problem. The books in the series are aimed at travellers with an interest in animals, at people for whom some of the best moments of any trip to places like southern Mexico are unexpected encounters with birds and mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fish and other marine organisms. You will find in these books information on
(1) common animals likely to be seen,
(2) those that are commonly pointed out by tour-guides and tourist literature,
(3) some threatened ones that are, for example, subjects of conservation attention, and
(4) some that are of special ecological significance.

The books, endorsed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, are real field guides, with extensive color artwork produced by some of the world's top wildlife artists. To give you an idea of the "depth" of coverage, the Tropical Mexico book (which covers the Yucatan Peninsula, Cancun region, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Tabasco states) includes detailed information and color illustrations on 104 plates of about 250 bird species, 55 mammals, 95 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 150 coral reef fish and other marine organisms - the book truly covers most of the animals you might encounter in this large region. Additionally, initial chapters in each book introduce the country or region, its habitats and climate, its common trees and other plants, and describe conservation projects and ecotourism there, as well as major eco-attractions (national parks, nature reserves, etc.). My hopes are that these books will be put to good use in the field by ecotravellers, will make trips more enjoyable, and will assist in conservation in a small way by helping to educate people about the wildlife and habitats in the countries through which they travel.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 485 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1st edition (March 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0120848147
• ISBN-13: 978-0120848140
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > History > Americas > South America > Ecuador
  • #72 in Books > Travel > Latin America > South America > Ecuador & Galapagos Islands

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Color Plates with a thorough, yet readable text, June 28, 2002

By 

David Graham (Shell, Ecuador) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ecuador and Its Galápagos Islands: The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide (Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides) (Paperback)

A layman needs a good guide when on tour of a new territory, whether that be a museum, a literary genre, or a country's heritage. In David Pearson's and Les Beletsky's 485 page ECUADOR and its GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, they present a book that is as good a guide as a layman could hope for, not just for exploring Ecuador or its Galapagos Islands, but for getting to know much of the fauna of Amazonian Latin America. The text is professionally written, yet down to earth and not infrequently humorous. The famous entomologist J. Henri Fabre once wrote, "Others again have reproached me with my style, which has not the solemnity, nay, better, the dryness of the schools. They fear lest a page that is read without fatigue should not always be the expression of the truth. Were I to take their word for it, we are profound only on condition of being obscure." This approach to scientific writing - being informative without being pedantic - allows writers like Pearson and Beletsky to fill the reader's heart with wonder while still often bringing a smile to his/her face.

With Ecuador being one of the most biologically diverse countries on earth, it is impossible to create a book that is both comprehensive and brief. The authors have gone for middle ground, covering the portion of Ecuadorian wildlife that is of interest and/or likely to be spotted by the ecotraveller to Ecuador. There are 96 color plates (with 5-6 animals illustrated on each one), several pages of color photographs, an excellent chapter - with maps - of Ecuador's National Parks and Bioreserves, a section on Ecuador's geography and habitats (e.g., Lowland Wet Forest, Mangrove and Coastal Vegetation) along with drawings illustrating several major plants in these regions, and 200 pages of animal descriptions under the headings 'Amphibians', 'Reptiles', 'Birds', 'Mammals', 'Insects & Other Arthropods', and 'Galapagos Wildlife'.

As an Ecuadorian resident, I have found this guide to be an excellent aid to identifying and understanding the natural history of the country. The book was both informative and fun to read, and I can highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about this wonderful area of the world.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go go Galapagos!, July 27, 2000

By 

Lydia (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecuador and Its Galápagos Islands: The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide (Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides) (Paperback)

I have just returned from those Enchanted Isles and found Beletsky's guide omnipresent, dog-eared and tightly clutched in the sea-salted hands of many a visitor. I am surprised that the Sea Lions and Blue Footed Boobies did not have their own copies!

This guide is a truly indispensible accessory for those fortunate enough to have visited those Islands of wonder and enchantment. It is also a great whetter of one's appetite! Other books have their strengths, but when push comes to shove, or in this case just going around..., one wants a thorough compliment to one's naturalist (to make all those notations when one gets back home, of course) and also a look into what is to come. Accurate and beautifully illustrated.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Ecotourist, August 10, 2007

By 

M. Shick "Mt.Pl Librarian" (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Travellers' Wildlife Guides Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands (Paperback)

This book was one used by my guide during a recent trip to the Ecuadorian
Selva. I purchased it on my return home and transfered my field notes to the pages with the appropriate birds and animals I had the pleasure to see. I have enjoyed reading the addition info the book provides and it will help preserve my experience for myself and others.