Natural Resources, School of
Date of this Version
2011
Abstract
Last summer I spent time with old friends. Terry Vaughan and company have significantly updated their text, Mammalogy, for the 5th edition (2011). The book is 62% larger than the 1st edition in 1972 (Vaughan 1972). Vaughan, Ryan, and Czaplewski skewer topics with a simplicity derived from years of mammalian research and teaching, and it is a pure pleasure to read. The synthetic nature of Mammalogy (2011) and exceptional clarity in writing make this edition an ideal book that is not just for class. Because much new research has been integrated into each chapter, all mammalogists will appreciate new introductions to each group and newly synthesized classification, ecology, physiology, and other subject-driven chapters. I found myself picking up the book where I had left off and treating it more like a novel than a text. Further, I kept interrupting myself and wandering to other topics (what’s going on these days with primates, or the latest in bats, or the latest in whale evolution). It was a rich, rewarding summer.
Comments
Published in Journal of Mammalogy, 92(2):478–479, 2011. Copyright 2011 American Society of Mammalogists. Used by permission.