The Natural History of Madagascar (Hardcover)

by Steven M. Goodman (Editor, Translator), Jonathan P. Benstead (Editor, Translator), Harald Schutz (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Separated from the mainland of Africa for 160 million years, Madagascar has evolved an incredible wealth of biodiversity, with thousands of species that can be found nowhere else on earth. For instance, of its estimated 12,000 plant species, nearly 10,000 are unique to Madagascar. Malagasy animals are just as spectacular, from its almost forty currently recognized species of lemurs—a primate group found only here—to the numerous species of tiny dwarf chameleons. With astounding frequency scientists discover a previously unknown species in Madagascar—and at almost the same rate another natural area of habitat is degraded or destroyed, a combination that recently led conservation organizations to name Madagascar one of the most important and threatened conservation priorities on the planet.

The Natural History of Madagascar provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date synthesis available of this island nation's priceless biological treasures. Contributions by nearly three hundred world-renowned experts cover the history of scientific exploration in Madagascar, its geology and soils, climate, forest ecology, human ecology, marine and coastal ecosystems, plants, invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Detailed discussions of conservation efforts in Madagascar highlight several successful park reserve programs that could serve as models for other areas. Beautifully illustrated throughout, the book includes over one hundred color illustrations, with fifty color photos by nature photographer Harald Schütz, as well as more than three hundred black-and-white photographs and line drawings.

The Natural History of Madagascar will be the invaluable reference for anyone interested in the Malagasy environment, from biologists and conservationists to policymakers and ecotourists.

“For those who are serious about getting to know this fascinating island, there is no better resource.”—Tim Flannery, Nature

“A magnificent overview of one of the strangest and most glorious chunks of the planet.”—Adrian Barnett, New Scientist

“A scientific milestone and by far the largest synthesis of tropical biology research ever.”—Science

From the Inside Flap

Separated from the mainland of Africa for 160 million years, Madagascar has evolved an incredible wealth of biodiversity, with thousands of species that can be found nowhere else on earth. For instance, of its estimated 12,000 plant species, nearly 10,000 are unique to Madagascar. Malagasy animals are just as spectacular, from its almost forty currently recognized species of lemurs—a primate group found only here—to the numerous species of tiny dwarf chameleons. With astounding frequency scientists discover a previously unknown species in Madagascar—and at almost the same rate another natural area of habitat is degraded or destroyed, a combination that recently led conservation organizations to name Madagascar one of the most important and threatened conservation priorities on the planet.

The Natural History of Madagascar provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date synthesis available of this island nation's priceless biological treasures. Contributions by nearly three hundred world-renowned experts cover the history of scientific exploration in Madagascar, its geology and soils, climate, forest ecology, human ecology, marine and coastal ecosystems, plants, invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Detailed discussions of conservation efforts in Madagascar highlight several successful park reserve programs that could serve as models for other areas. Beautifully illustrated throughout, the book includes over one hundred color illustrations, with fifty color photos by nature photographer Harald Schütz, as well as more than three hundred black-and-white photographs and line drawings.

The Natural History of Madagascar will be the invaluable reference for anyone interested in the Malagasy environment, from biologists and conservationists to policymakers and ecotourists.

See all Editorial Reviews

---

Product Details Hardcover: 1728 pages Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 0226303063 ISBN-13: 978-0226303062 Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9 x 2.6 inches Shipping Weight: 8.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,054,701 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #24 in  Books > History > Africa > Madagascar

---

Citations (learn more)

5 books cite this book:

• African Biodiversity: Molecules, Organisms, Ecosystems by Bernhard A. Huber on page 85, and page 86
• Tropical Rain Forests: An Ecological and Biogeographical Comparison by Richard B. Primack in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Land Use Change and Mountain Biodiversity by Eva M. Spehn on page 86
• The Rise of Placental Mammals: Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades by Kenneth D. Rose on page 198
• The Agulhas Current by J.R.E. Lutjeharms in Back Matter

---

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	68% buy the item featured on this page: The Natural History of Madagascar 5.0 out of 5 stars (4) $61.42
	11% buy Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide 5.0 out of 5 stars (3) $31.92
	8% buy Madagascar, 9th (Bradt Travel Guide) 4.3 out of 5 stars (3) $20.43
	7% buy Malagasy-English/English-Malagasy: Dictionary and Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebook) 3.6 out of 5 stars (5) $10.16

Explore similar items

---

Tags Customers Associate with This Product  (What's this?) Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people. Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below. africa(1) ecology(1) fauna(1) flora(1) herpetology(1) history(1) madagascar(1) reptiles(1) See all 9 tags... Your tags: Add your first tag

Search Products Tagged with   See most popular tags

Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search

No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

---

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

---

 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 14 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The Natural History of Madagascar. Goodman & Bensted eds., June 25, 2007 By  W. Macy (Rhode Island) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: The Natural History of Madagascar (Paperback) This weighty volume is an edited collection of scientific papers about the natural history of the island of Madagascar- how Madagascar came to be separated from Africa; its fossil record and relationship to existing forms of plant and animal life, most specifically the unique lemurs; its landforms, climatic, and biological zones, etc. Having just returned from two week visit there, in three different areas of country, I can say that I wish I had read more of this book beforehand! I found the parts of Chapter 2 dealing with why Madagascar has such a unique collection of endemic plants and animals especially enlightening and surprising. I happen to be a marine biologist/ecologist professionally and was not put off by the specialized technical terms used by paleontologists, botanists, geologists, and so forth, but I don't think a well read lay reader will be much troubled by them either. This volume is not a guide book, however, but it is amply illustrated to demonstrate particular points. I doubt there is another single source of so much state of the art information about this extraordinary island. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Superbook !, March 31, 2008 By  M. G. Kuijpers - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This book is for sure one of the heaviest books in my library, but what a book it is ! Everything you always wanted to know about Madagascar, and more, is in it. From soil types to the use of the local plants,from Nile crocodiles to lemurs...incredible to see all these scientific papers bundeled together. Are you studying Madagascar in any way this book is a must have. Interested in the fauna,flora,geology,history...this book is what you need ! This book has a solid scientific base the text reflects this, keep this in mind. The photos are rare in this book but drawings and maps make up for this (as does the excellent text). 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The "Arc" of Relics, February 26, 2008 By  Dr. John W. Rippon - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       This review is from: The Natural History of Madagascar (Paperback) The Natural History of Madagascar is a tome. It weighs about 8 pounds and is some 1700 pages long. It does contain information on most all living things ( and some fossils) found on the island: plants, insects, molluscs, spiders, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. This is not a field guide however. There are few illustrations and few keys to species. What is contained is informationon for understanding the systematics and phylogeny, the natural history of the various groups and the ecomorphologic diversity important in how individuals fit into the various habitats of the island. Since Madagascar has just about every conceivable ecologic niche for its sub-tropical location from bone-dry desert in the southwest to soggy rain forest on the entire east coast and everything in between. The island is essentially a shoe shape (left) with the toe pointing north and a high mountain range running south to north. The island broke away from Gondwana still attached to India some 120 mya and then separated from the west coast of India in the mid late Cretaceous. This has led to a burgeoning of endemism in all forms of life. Though an isolated "arc" island carrying its load of archaic animals and plants and allowing for its own pattern of evolution, it was not without occasional input from the outside world. Animals and plants could literally "barge" in on detritus rafts and introduce new groups. Whether or not the new species survived and prospered depended on their ability to fit in some niche. This has led to some interesting complexities of the species lists. There are no dog family or cat family predators. Civets and Mongooses fill some of the roles and large Lemurs and birds may have also. Then the late arrival human predator eliminated all of the larger animals and birds. On the other hand you have many relics still prospering whereas elsewhere they have been supplanted or died out. Tenrecs and Lemurs are among them. As a botanic example we can look at palms. On the whole continent of Africa there are some thirty species; on Madagascar 130. As noted in the discussion many "endemics" are really relics of evolutionay lines that died out on the main continents. Other chapters have discussions on the physiologic adaptations of animals and plants that allow them to exploit the niches. Data is also found on some of the infectious diseases, parasitic, bacterial and viral for some of the animals. In my own area of fungal infections of animals, it is noted that several tenrec species had evidence Pneumocystis carinii, a strange ascomycetous fungus. In the early chapters there is extensive coverage of rainfall and climate, soil types and geologic formations, fossils, origins of the Malagasy peoples that arrived only two thousand years ago and the culture and agriculture they now practice. Its the kind of book I love - filled with biologic trivia - and it is good background for the serious natural history traveler. I'll be there soon.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what expected The Natural History of Madagascar provides a very (maybe the most) comprehensive review of the, well, natural history of Madagascar. Read more Published 7 months ago by Nils Henninger Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

---

Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)

New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.

This product's forum (0 discussions)   Discussion Replies Latest Post   No discussions yet Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight Start a new discussion Topic: First post: Receive e-mail when new posts are made Prompts for sign-in   [Cancel] Guidelines Active discussions in related forums   Discussion Replies Latest Post science "The Design of Life" 19 3 minutes ago history Why does Holocaust Denial Exist? 5190 4 minutes ago history Did we eat the Neanderthals? 116 6 minutes ago science The impact of Darwin on Ruth Bader Ginsburg 6 7 minutes ago science Global warming is nothing but a hoax and a scare tactic 8782 9 minutes ago textbook Textbooks for Kindle DX? 34 1 day ago textbook Does anyone use Discovering Geometry: An Investigative Approach? 3 13 days ago

The History community Latest activity 38 minutes ago 19,337 customers have contributed 25,448 products, 661 discussions and more... › Explore the community The Ecology community Latest activity 3 hours ago 1,766 customers have contributed 1,559 products, 135 lists & guides and more... › Explore the community The Africa community Latest activity 3 hours ago 3,623 customers have contributed 4,003 products, 265 lists & guides and more... › Explore the community Related forums africa (4 discussions) bargain books ecology (2 discussions) history (661 discussions) science (1018 discussions) textbook (16 discussions) Explore more › See all Customer Communities › Your communities

---

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.

› See featured Amapedia.com articles

---

Listmania!

Madagascar: A list by Anne C. Axel   ***For the love of Lemurs***: A list by J.P.   Bird & Wildlife Guides to Africa: A list by Laszlo Wagner Create a Listmania! list

Search Listmania!

---

Look for Similar Items by Category

• Books > Bargain Books
• Books > History > Africa > Madagascar
• Books > New & Used Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Biology & Life Sciences > Ecology
• Books > Outdoors & Nature > Environment
• Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Ecology
• Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Environmental Science
• Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Ecology
• Books > Science > Earth Sciences > Environmental Science
• Books > Science > History & Philosophy

---

Smooth Operator Find garage door products (opener kits, remotes, mini-key-chain controls, and wireless-key entry systems) in the Hardware Store. Opening the garage door shouldn’t be a chore. ›Shop all garage door hardware

Big Savings in Books Find great titles at fantastic prices in our Bargain Books Store.

Summer Reading for Kids & Teens Discover everything from beach reads and board books to teen romance and action-adventure series in Summer Reading for Kids & Teens. And, check off the kids' required reading lists in our Summer School Reading Store.

Danco Perfect Match The right product and ideal style from Danco makes DIY plumbing projects simple. ›Shop for Danco products now

 

Feedback If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? Is there any other feedback you would like to provide? Your comments can help make our site better for everyone. Please note that we are unable to respond directly to all feedback submitted via this form, but we'll ask you to sign in so we can contact you if needed.

Where's My Stuff? Track your recent orders. View or change your orders in Your Account. Shipping & Returns See our shipping rates & policies. See FREE shipping information. Return an item (here's our Returns Policy). Need Help? Forgot your password? Buy gift cards. Visit our Help department.

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)

You have no recently viewed items or searches. After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.	Continue shopping: Top Sellers Paranoia by Joseph Finder 4.1 out of 5 stars (190)$0.00 Glenn Beck's Common Sense by Glenn Beck 3.8 out of 5 stars (253)$6.59 Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich 2.6 out of 5 stars (192)$9.99 My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent 4.5 out of 5 stars (2)$0.00

Amazon.com Home  |   Directory of All Stores

International Sites:  Canada  |  United Kingdom  |  Germany  |  Japan  |  France  |  China

Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Build an eCommerce Site  |  Advertise With Us  |  Developer Services  |  Self-Publish with Us

Help  |  View Cart  |  Your Account  |  1-Click Settings

Investor Relations  |  Press Releases  |  Careers at Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1728 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226303063
• ISBN-13: 978-0226303062
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,054,701 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #24 in

  Books > History > Africa > Madagascar

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Natural History of Madagascar. Goodman & Bensted eds., June 25, 2007

By	W. Macy (Rhode Island) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Natural History of Madagascar (Paperback)

This weighty volume is an edited collection of scientific papers about the natural history of the island of Madagascar- how Madagascar came to be separated from Africa; its fossil record and relationship to existing forms of plant and animal life, most specifically the unique lemurs; its landforms, climatic, and biological zones, etc. Having just returned from two week visit there, in three different areas of country, I can say that I wish I had read more of this book beforehand! I found the parts of Chapter 2 dealing with why Madagascar has such a unique collection of endemic plants and animals especially enlightening and surprising. I happen to be a marine biologist/ecologist professionally and was not put off by the specialized technical terms used by paleontologists, botanists, geologists, and so forth, but I don't think a well read lay reader will be much troubled by them either. This volume is not a guide book, however, but it is amply illustrated to demonstrate particular points. I doubt there is another single source of so much state of the art information about this extraordinary island.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbook !, March 31, 2008

By	M. G. Kuijpers - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is for sure one of the heaviest books in my library, but what a book it is !

Everything you always wanted to know about Madagascar, and more, is in it.
From soil types to the use of the local plants,from Nile crocodiles to lemurs...incredible to see all these scientific papers bundeled together.

Are you studying Madagascar in any way this book is a must have.
Interested in the fauna,flora,geology,history...this book is what you need !

This book has a solid scientific base the text reflects this, keep this in mind. The photos are rare in this book but drawings and maps make up for this (as does the excellent text).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Arc" of Relics, February 26, 2008

By	Dr. John W. Rippon - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Natural History of Madagascar (Paperback)

The Natural History of Madagascar is a tome. It weighs about 8 pounds and is some 1700 pages long. It does contain information on most all living things ( and some fossils) found on the island: plants, insects, molluscs, spiders, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. This is not a field guide however. There are few illustrations and few keys to species. What is contained is informationon for understanding the systematics and phylogeny, the natural history of the various groups and the ecomorphologic diversity important in how individuals fit into the various habitats of the island. Since Madagascar has just about every conceivable ecologic niche for its sub-tropical location from bone-dry desert in the southwest to soggy rain forest on the entire east coast and everything in between. The island is essentially a shoe shape (left) with the toe pointing north and a high mountain range running south to north. The island broke away from Gondwana still attached to India some 120 mya and then separated from the west coast of India in the mid late Cretaceous. This has led to a burgeoning of endemism in all forms of life. Though an isolated "arc" island carrying its load of archaic animals and plants and allowing for its own pattern of evolution, it was not without occasional input from the outside world. Animals and plants could literally "barge" in on detritus rafts and introduce new groups. Whether or not the new species survived and prospered depended on their ability to fit in some niche. This has led to some interesting complexities of the species lists. There are no dog family or cat family predators. Civets and Mongooses fill some of the roles and large Lemurs and birds may have also. Then the late arrival human predator eliminated all of the larger animals and birds. On the other hand you have many relics still prospering whereas elsewhere they have been supplanted or died out. Tenrecs and Lemurs are among them. As a botanic example we can look at palms. On the whole continent of Africa there are some thirty species; on Madagascar 130. As noted in the discussion many "endemics" are really relics of evolutionay lines that died out on the main continents.
Other chapters have discussions on the physiologic adaptations of animals and plants that allow them to exploit the niches. Data is also found on some of the infectious diseases, parasitic, bacterial and viral for some of the animals. In my own area of fungal infections of animals, it is noted that several tenrec species had evidence Pneumocystis carinii, a strange ascomycetous fungus.
In the early chapters there is extensive coverage of rainfall and climate, soil types and geologic formations, fossils, origins of the Malagasy peoples that arrived only two thousand years ago and the culture and agriculture they now practice.
Its the kind of book I love - filled with biologic trivia - and it is good background for the serious natural history traveler. I'll be there soon.