Customer Reviews

The Velvet Claw: A Natural History of the Carnivores

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Dr. David MacDonald's "The Velvet Claw" is a well-organized, well-written, beautifully illustrated synthesis of the author's 20 years of professional involvement with carnivores.

Head of Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, MacDonald begins with an overview of the carnivore's evolutionary rise then devotes a chapter to each of the eight families: civets and genets, cats, dogs, hyaenas, bears, raccoons and coatis, weasels and skunks, and mongooses.

He traces the rise and fall of species (often by their teeth) and explores the drama of survival. When possible, MacDonald refers to anecdotal research from studies worldwide to illuminate behavior patterns, feeding and mating habits. His narrative style is engaging and informative and enhanced by the moments of high action captured in the color illustrations and photographs.

This is a very elegant and pleasant book about the ecology and evolution of this magnificent group of animals. Extraordinarily well based on scientific researches, it is written in an impeccable style, that resembles much more a capturing novel than the sometimes boring or elitist scientific literature. The author, one of the scientific leaders in carnivore research in the world, present us with this book a nice example on how to write and present science and its findings as the truly passionate activity that in fact it is. Do not hesitate in obtain a copy of this book if you can find one. It should be considered the possibility of asking the author and the editorial for a reprint.

Best little book on the natural history of carnivores I've read. I'm recommending it to my college professor for his Mammalogy class.

This special book tells the story of the carnivore family: cats, dogs, weasels, bears, and their kin. In a classic evolutionary pattern, the family tree has branched and been pruned, branched and been pruned, over millions of years. It is based on a BBC television show and has many illustrations. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in natural history, loves animals, wants to understand evolution better, or wants to get to know the Carnivore family. It explains what a carnivore is and introduces us to the few animals descended from the earlier members of the family, such as the Swift Fox. There is a precis at Bob Pickett (dot) org.

I'm afraid, this book are out-stock (Please, we need new reprint!) Desafortunadamente, está agotado (Necesitamos una reimpresión!) SI PUEDE CONSEGUIRLO, NO LO DUDE, CÓMPRELO....! IF YOU CAN GET IT, DON`T WAIT, BUY IT.....!

I was excited when I heard of this book, then I bought it and it was a real dissapointment,the text is nothing you can't find online, the pictures are mediocre and the illustrations are terrible, they look like it was drawn by a kid.