The Natural History of Costa Rican Mammals [Paperback]

Mark Wainwright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2003

This book describes all of Costa Rica's readily identifiable terrestrial and freshwater mammals, drawing on detailed information from hundreds of scientific publications. Stunning illustrations show not only the mammals themselves, but also their tracks, scats, dens, and anatomical details. It also includes illustrations of numerous other animals and plants with which the mammals have formed close ecological links. The descriptions include key identification features, range maps, vocalizations, derivations of common and scientific names, evolutionary history, local folklore and mythology, and extensive information about natural history and conservation. It also describes some of the fascinating challenges faced by researchers and points out numerous questions that remain unanswered.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"The Mammals of Costa Rica is an extremely useful and comprehensive guide to the mammal species of Costa Rica, one of the most important countries for conservation in the Americas today. This book goes beyond the realm of normal field guides, providing detailed scientific information as well as the conservation status of particular species."--Alan Rabinowitz, Wildlife Conservation Society --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

British naturalist Mark Wainwright has lived and worked in Monteverde, Costa Rica, since 1991. In addition to writing and illustrating, he works as a guide and as an instructor for tropical ecology courses; he has also participated in a number of research projects. His previous publications include five titles in the Costa Rica Field Guide series - Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians, Animal Tracks, and Cloud Forest Birds - and the children's book Jungle Jumble.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Zona Tropical Publications (January 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970567812
• ISBN-13: 978-0970567819
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #510,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > History > Americas > Central America > Costa Rica

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goes beyond 5 stars!, April 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Natural History of Costa Rican Mammals (Paperback)

This book is handy for those who want to identify Costa Rican mammals, but it is especially appropriate for anyone who wishes to go beyond the simple question of "What's that?" It contains a wealth of natural history information on mammals' feeding, defecating, and sexual behavior. The author also describes ecological interactions and conservation issues. Hundreds of superb illustrations depict portraits of the animals as well as behaviors, food plants, and interesting details such as scats and penis bones. While the book focuses on species within Costa Rica, much of the information applies to mammals in Central America in general. The Natural History of Costa Rican Mammals serves as a fine reference book and a fun-to-read book at the same time.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much More Than Meets the Eye, May 22, 2004

By 

Steven J. Bissell (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Natural History of Costa Rican Mammals (Paperback)

This book is far more than a review of information about mammals in Costa Rica; it is also a good field guide and a useful text on applied conservation. The author is a professional guide in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and as such is knowledgeable about a wide variety of natural history subjects. This book is primarily a review of the literature about mammals in not only Costa Rica, but elsewhere in Central America. It contains information widely applicable to other counties and the suggestions for conservation apply just as widely.

I have a pretty good library on wildlife in Central and South America and this beautifully done book is probably the best, not only about a specific group, but also about general issues. The drawings are excellent, the overall book is well put together and, the writing is clear, simple, accurate, and really first-rate. Buy this book even if you don't plan on traveling to Costa Rica.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, July 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Natural History of Costa Rican Mammals (Paperback)

A marvellous book, compact enough to be a field guide and yet informative enough to be a valuable reference work at home. As a field guide it is particularly valuable for its superb illustrations and also in showing and discussing things like scats, tracks, dens and sounds for those animals that one would like to see but might not! We'll certainly take it along again on our next trip. As a reference work it is excellent as a clearly and entertainingly written introduction to the natural history and conservation of Costa Rica's many fascinating mammals. It also has a comprehensive list of references to the primary scientific literature.