Customer Reviews

Scats and Tracks of North America: A Field Guide to the Signs of Nearly 150 Wildlife Species (Scats and Tracks Series)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has excellent drawings of tracks, scats, bird pellets and sometimes nests. Each entry has a map of North America showing the range of the subject.

While some field books on tracking cover just animals this book covers invertebrates, amphibians (frogs included) birds, marsupials, Insectivores and many others.

Each entry takes two facing pages which provide a nice drawing of the subject on the left side and drawings of the track and often scat and nests on the right side.

Each entry follows the same format:

1. A description, beside the drawing of the subject.

2. Track.

3. Trail.

4. Scat.

5. Habitat.

6. Similar species.

7. Other sign.

If you are looking for a book that tells you about the habits and / or life style of the subject this is not the book to fill that need.

Combined with Animal Tracking Basics which does an excellent job of covering the "how to" of tracking a better introduction the the basics of tracking would be hard to find.

This is a valuable book for beginners. It should be used more as a classroom textbook than as an in the field guide. The key to the tracks is good but inconviently located in the book. Although there is a page showing shapes of scat, It is not a key.

This is a terrific book for kids to carry in a pack while hiking. It is pocket sized and covers not only mammals but also reptiles, amphibians and birds. There are drawings of the animals, tracks and track patterns and a distribution map. For adults who want a more extensive guide, try Mammal Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch or Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendes.

My only complaint is that seven pages in the middle of the book are blank or only partially printed.

If you don't mind doing a little thumbing through pages each time you want to identify specific tracks or scat you've come across, this book is pretty good and helpful.