Peru: Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide (Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides) [Paperback]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2001 | Series: Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides

From the world-famous Machu Picchu Incan ruins high in the Andes Mountains to Lake Titicaca in southern Peru and to the Iquitos area of
Amazonian northeastern Peru, ecotravellers want to experience tropical forests and other stunning habitats and catch glimpses of exotic wildlife: toucans and parrots, monkeys and anteaters, frogs and toads, crocodiles and snakes. This book is all the information you need to find, identify, and learn about Peru's magnificent animal and plant life. The authors, professional biologists, selected color illustrations of more than 500 of Peru'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 a constant companion on your journey.
Peru's biodiversity is considered to be among the greatest on Earth. In southeastern Peru, on the east slope of the Andes and descending into the Amazonian lowlands, biodiversity has been studied extensively during the past 20 years. More than 300,000 people visit Peru each year, and the number of ecotourists who visit specifically for bird watching, etc., is steadily rising due to the abundant offering of wildlife that Peru has to offer.

Key Features
* Identifying and location information on the most frequently seen animals
* Up-to-date information on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of the animals
* Information on Peru's habitats and on the most common plants you will encounter
* Brief descriptions of Peru's most frequently visited parks and reserves

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...this is a serious handbook for dedicated wildlife enthusiasts. The series concept is to help travellers identify and learn about the animals and plants they are most likely to see. The Peru guide is exceedingly comprehensive, includes current conservation information and is delightfully illustrated."
--AUDUBON (April 2001)

From the Publisher

Praise for the Series
"...the kind of guide than an ecotourist to the area really needs." (Adrian Barnett in New Scientist, July 1999)

"This is the perfect field book for the general tourist who has an interest in exploring tropical environs." (William R. Teska in Science Books And Films, June 1999)

"...few [guides] are written with the same authority and attention to detail... It could be the best (money) you spend all trip." (Nick Baker in BBC Wildlife, 1999)

"...this convenient field guide-sized book is absolutely packed with information for the visitor." (Steve Gantlett in Birding World, 1998)

"These are books I would certainly want to read before a visit." (Gordon Hamlett in Birdwatching, 1999)

"The illustrations are superb, the text simple and direct... If you go, take this book." (Birds, Summer 1999)

"The information on identification, distribution, ecology, behaviour, conservation, and habitats is enlivened by fascinating 'environmental close-ups'." (Bryan Bland in British Birds, September 1999)

"...it is the treatment of frogs and snakes that makes these volumes worth taking along." (Winging It, June 1999)

"The text is accurate and well-researched." (Nick Smith in IBIS, 1999)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 502 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1st edition (January 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0125480652
• ISBN-13: 978-0125480659
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,633,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the Average Ecotourist, October 29, 2005

By 

John D. Sherwood (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peru (Travellers' Wildlife Guides) (Paperback)

The "Traveller's [sic.] Wildlife Guides" are designed for travelers who desire more background on a country's flora and fauna than one can typically glean from a national park brochure or even a good guide. The main strength of these guides is their relatively low price. Illustrated field guides for exotic destinations can easily cost over $60. These guides, by comparison, are a steal at just under $20. The main weakness is that they are not comprehensive. They provide information and illustrations for common birds, reptiles, mammals, and insects, but not for exotic species. Hence, serious birdwatchers will also need to purchase James F. Clements and Noam Shany's "A Field Guide to the Birds of Peru."

In every other sense, however, the Pearson guide is marvelous. The introductory chapters on Peru's ecotourism business, its geography and habitats, parks and reserves, and ecology and natural history are extremely well-written and highly informative. The second half of book is a field guide with pictures on one page and descriptions on the adjacent page. The descriptions are brief and to the point. They also contain symbols for the habitat types each species prefers. For common bird identification, I found this guide to be much easier to use in the field than the Clements and Shany guide, which provides pictures in one part of the book and descriptions in another. This book worked well as a companion to Clements and Shany because it enabled me to focus on common birds first and if I could not find my bird in the Pearson list, I then cracked open the Clements and Shany guide.

In addition to the Peru guide, Interlink Books also publishes "Traveller's Wildlife Guides" for Australia, Costa Rica, Belize and Northern Guatemala, Brazil, and Ecuador and the Galapagos.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good place to start, April 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Peru: Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide (Ecotravellers Wildlife Guides) (Paperback)

I purchased this book to take with me to the Manu Reserve in Peru. It offered a very nice overview of the wildlife of the area, though I did see quite a few birds, reptiles and mammals that were not included. The illustrations and narratives are well done.
I wish the section on snakes was larger and the guide just touched on plant life.
My biggest wish is that the insect section would be expanded. There are 1,000 kinds of butterfly in Manu alone, yet the guide hardly touched the subject.
An all inclusive guide to all the plants, insects and wildlife would be far from portable, so if you are looking for a travel guide this does its job nicely. Hopefully you can carry this and let your guide haul around the Birds of Ecuador and other more comprehensive guides.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Common insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, June 7, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peru (Travellers' Wildlife Guides) (Paperback)

Part the Interlink Books "Travellers' Wildlife Guides" series, Peru provides identification and location information on Peru's most frequently seen animals. This 502 page identification guide offers full-color illustrations of more than 500 of Peru's most common insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Enhanced with a species index, Peru provides up-to-date information on the ecology, behavior and conservation of the animals listed, as well as information on Peru's habitats and the most common plants visitors will encounter. With brief descriptions of Peru's most frequently visited parks and wildlife reserves, this handy, highly portable manual will prove to be an invaluable companion for appreciating the diversity and wonderful of Peruvian wildlife in their native settings.