Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide [Paperback]

Nick Garbutt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2007

The mammals that inhabit Madagascar are among the most extraordinary in the world. This portable guide offers a full survey and classification of all the Malagasy mammals, both endemic and introduced, including many new species only recently identified. With vivid color photographs, line illustrations, and maps, Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide is an essential volume for any tourist or biologist who visits the island—or wishes to.

 

The guide provides descriptions of the physical and behavioral characteristics of each species as well as information about habitat and distribution. To further aid identification, the book lists top mammal-watching sites in the rainforests, deciduous forests, and spiny forest areas. Streamlined and completely updated, this book replaces Nick Garbutt’s classic earlier work, Mammals of Madagascar, and takes its place as the definitive guide to the mammals of the world’s fourth-largest island.

 

Published in association with Christopher Helm/A & C Black Publishers Ltd.

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) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Nick Garbutt is an award-winning wildlife photographer and author who has visited virtually all of the major wildlife locations in Madagascar during annual visits since 1991. He contributes to publications worldwide, including National Geographic, Africa Geographic, Outdoor Photography, and BBC Wildlife and has twice been the winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (August 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030012550X
• ISBN-13: 978-0300125504
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Mammals
  • #99 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Mammals

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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!