Stuarts' Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa

Stuart's Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa covers near to 400 mammal species including Angola, Zambia and Malawi since the 5th edition of 2015.
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978-1-77584-111-1
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Title: Stuarts' Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa
Subtitle: Including Angola, Zambia and Malawi
Authors: Chris Stuart,; Tilde Stuart
Publisher: Random House Struik
Imprint: Struik Nature
5th expanded edition. Cape Town, South Africa 2015
ISBN 9781775841111 / ISBN 978-1-77584-111-1
Softcover, 15 x 21 cm, 456 pages, 800 photos, 50 illustrations, 370 maps

Description:

Geographically, Stuarts' Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa covers the area stretching south of the Congo River in the west, Lake Tanganyika in the east and the Ruvuma River that forms much of the border between Tanzania and Mozambique. The Atlantic Ocean laps the western seaboard, and the southern and eastern shores are bounded by the Indian Ocean. The southern African region is usually defined as the area south of the Cunene and Zambezi rivers. In a break from this definition, we have elected to include Angola, Zambia, Malawi and northern Mozambique in what we shall call greater southern Africa. We have chosen to expand the area covered by this field guide for several reasons: the ranges of many species that occur south of the Cunene/Zambezi rivers also extend northwards beyond this point; and there is a lack of popular literature dealing with the full spectrum of mammal species in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, despite the increase in eco-tourism to these countries thanks to their conservation areas and great wildlife diversity.

Angola still has some way to go in this regard, but over time its network of national parks is likely to be developed and become more accessible to visitors interested in wildlife. We have also included, for the sake of completeness, those species that do not occur south of the Cunene/Zambezi line. The main purpose of a field guide is to enable the observer to identify mammals in the wild. While there should be little difficulty in identifying the larger, medium-sized and some small mammals to species level, this is not always the case with many smaller species. Many of these are secretive and therefore only rarely seen or difficult to find. Furthermore, many small species can be identified only by specialists with access to comparative study material of skins and skulls, usually through a museum. For some small species, identification is possible normally only to family and generic level; this applies particularly to golden moles, shrews, bats and many small rodents, where positive identification may require expert examination of the skull, teeth and sometimes even their genetic material.

Where this is the case, it is pointed out in the text. As the marine environment simply does not lend itself to easy observation, illustrations instead of photographs are used to depict most whales and dolphins. Each species account is divided into sections under subheadings to enable the reader to look up any aspect that is of particular interest. Take care when identifying juvenile animals, as they may differ considerably from the adults. This applies particularly to the antelopes, where the sub-adults of one species may be easily confused with the adults of another species. Another thing to bear in mind is that a number of species possess one or more subspecies, or races, that differ from each other in colour, pattern or size. Where this is applicable, it is mentioned in the species account. The tools of the mammal-watcher are simple: a good pair of binoculars, a notebook and pencil, and a suitable mammal reference book like Stuarts' Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa.

Content: Stuarts' Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa

INTRODUCTION
Major biotic zones of southern Africa
Mammal identification
Conservation and wildlife management
FAMILY INTRODUCTIONS
ORDER AFROSORICIDA
Golden moles (family Chrysochloridae)
ORDER MACROSCELIDEA
Sengis (Elephant-shrews) (family Macroscelididae)
ORDER EULIPOTYPHLA
Hedgehogs (family Erinaceidae)
Shrews (family Soricidae)
ORDER CHIROPTERA
Fruit-bats (suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae)
Insectivorous bats (suborder Microchiroptera)
Sheath-tailed & tomb bats (family Emballonuridae)
Trident & leaf-nosed bats (family Hipposideridae)
Slit-faced bats (family Nycteridae)
Horseshoe bats (family Rhinolophidae)
Vesper bats (family Vespertilionidae)
Long-fingered bats (genus Miniopterus, subfamily Miniopterinae)
Hairy, Serotine, pipistrelle, butterfly, long-eared & house bats (subfamily Vespertilioninae)
Woolly bats (genus Kerivoula, subfamily Kerivoulinae)
Free-tailed bats (family Molossidae)
ORDER PRIMATES
Baboons & monkeys (family Cercopithecidae)
Galagos (Bushbabies) (family Galagidae)
ORDER PHOLIDOTA
Pangolins (family Manidae)
ORDER LAGOMORPHA
Hares & rabbits (family Leporidae)
ORDER RODENTIA
Squirrels (family Sciuridae)
Dormice (family Myoxidae)
Springhare (family Pedetidae)
Rodent moles (Mole-rats) (family Bathyergidae)
Porcupine (family Hystricidae)
Cane-rats (family Thryonomyidae)
Dassie rat (family Petromuridae)
Rats & mice (family Muridae)
Gerbils (subfamily Gerbillinae)
ORDER CARNIVORA
Foxes, jackals & wild dog (family Canidae)
Otters, badger, weasel & polecat (family Mustelidae)
Mongooses (family Herpestidae)
Genets & civets (family Viverridae)
Palm civet (family Nandiniidae)
Hyaenas (family Hyaenidae)
Aardwolf (family Protelidae)
Cats (family Felidae)
ORDER TUBULIDENTATA
Aardvark (family Orycteropodidae)
ORDER PROBOSCIDEA
Elephant (family Elephantidae)
ORDER HYRACOIDEA
Dassies (Hyrax) (family Procaviidae)
ORDER PERISSODACTYLA
Zebras (family Equidae)
Rhinoceroses (family Rhinocerotidae)
ORDER SUIFORMES
Pigs & hogs (family Suidae)
ORDER WHIPPOMORPHA, SUBORDER ANCODONTA
Hippopotamuses (family Hippopotamidae)
ORDER RUMINANTIA
Giraffe (family Giraffidae)
Buffalo & antelopes (family Bovidae)
Deer (family Cervidae)
ORDER CARNIVORA
Fur seals (family Otariidae)
True seals (family Phocidae)
ORDER WHIPPOMORPHA, SUBORDER CETACEA
Baleen or whalebone whales (infraorder Mysticeti)
Rorquals (pleated whales) (family Balaenopteridae)
Right whales (families Balaenidae & Neobalaenidae)
Pygmy right whale (family Neobalaenidae)
Toothed whales & dolphins (infraorder Odontoceti)
Beaked whales (family Ziphiidae)
Sperm whales (families Kogiidae & Physeteridae)
Whale dolphins, pilot whales, killer whale & false killer whales (family Delphinidae)
ORDER SIRENIA
Dugong (family Dugongidae)
SKULLS
GLOSSARY
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING
ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED WITH MAMMAL STUDIES
PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS