Guide to the Mammals of Madagascar [Paperback]

Nick Garbutt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2007

This title is a reduced format field guide adaptation of the highly acclaimed Pica Press book Mammals of Madagascar. Madagascar has a unique mammal fauna. Of the 184 species, at least 103 are found nowhere else on earth. It is best known for its 33 species of lemur, but there are also a great variety of tenrecs, bats, rodents, viverrids and mongooses. As the only mammal taxa present on Madagascar, these groups have demonstrated remarkable adaptive radiation, giving rise to some of the most remarkable species in the world, such as the witch-like Aye-aye, the elegant Fosa and the bizarre Hedgehog Tenrecs. Anyone interested in mammals will hope to explore Madagascar's extraordinary assemblage of species, and this is the perfect identification guide for the island.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Photographs that could grace a glossy coffee-table book are matched with authoritative, up-to-date text in a guide small enough to pop in your backpack... If you are a natural-history buff who dreams of seeing this amazing island, Garbutt just might tip you off the couch and stir you into action.' BBC Wildlife (May 2007)

About the Author

Nick Garbutt is Britain's best-known and most popular authority on Madagascar's wildlife. He has observed almost all of Madagascar's mammals in the wild - a claim only a handful of others can make. He is also a talented artist and wildlife photographer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: A&C Black (March 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0713670436
• ISBN-13: 978-0713670431
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,413,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, July 26, 2007

By 

Laszlo Wagner (Hungary) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide (Paperback)

Ecotourists visiting Madagascar are really lucky.

After the excellent Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands: Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles and the Comoros, an excellent, affordable field guide to mammals in now finally available!

It's hard to know where to start praising this book, but perhaps most importantly, it really IS complete, describing all mammal species found in Madagascar.

The species accounts are incredibly detailed, not only providing extensive info on each species' appearence, behaviour, habitat & distribution, but even telling you where to go to see each one!

Of course excellent photographs (except for a few obscure rodents and bats) and very detailed range maps accompany each species as well.

Additionally, there are highly informative chapters on the various habitats found in Madagascar, on conservation issues, and finally detailed descriptions of the country's top mammal-watching sites, with lists of the most important species to be expected, access, facilities, best season to visit...

For those seriously interested, there is an incredibly long bibliography listing as well.

If I really had to make one complaint about this book, it would be that the format is a bit too large to be convenient for carrying in the field. I wish it could be smaller and thicker, but this size may have been necessary to accomodate several impressive full-page sized photographs.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An ideal photographic guide, June 8, 2008

By 

Adrian Cerda Ardura (Mexico City, Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide (Paperback)

I was looking for a good photographic guide to the mammals of Madagascar. I have several good books about Ecology, Evolution, Taxonomy, Biogeography and other related topics, but I really was needing one that would show the variety of mammalian species of the island. I finally found this little guide showing most of the species. It is good in size, although I wish it was larger because the excellent photos could be more enjoyable being larger. Also, I would love to have more images of the natural history of certain species, rather than have them just frozen in resting position. The written information is also good and enough for a guide of this quality, level and purpose. It is not for experts, but I am sure that even the experts, as well as anyone, will enjoy the book. Congratulations to the author Nick Garbut, it is an excellent work!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, February 5, 2010

By 

Sam (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide (Paperback)

A wonderful, colorful guide to the creatures of Madagascar. Highly recommended to anybody interested in the wildlife here, or anyone planning to visit!