5th Edition
by George A. Feldhamer (Author)
A completely revised and
updated edition of the leading mammalogy textbook, featuring color
photographs throughout and a new streamlined structure for enhanced use
in courses.
There are more than 6,400 species in the class
Mammalia, including the blue whale―the largest animal that has ever
lived―and the pygmy shrew, which weighs little more than a dime. Such
diversity among mammals has allowed them to play critical roles in every
ecosystem, whether marine, freshwater, alpine, tundra, forest, or
desert.
Reflecting the expertise and perspective of five leading mammalogists, the fifth edition of Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, Ecology
significantly updates taxonomy, adds a new introductory chapter on the
science of mammalogy, and highlights several recently described species.
To enhance its appeal to students, textual material has been reduced,
consolidated, and streamlined without sacrificing breadth or depth of
coverage. The fifth edition includes
• for the first time, stunning color photographs throughout
•
chapters rearranged and grouped to best reflect phylogenetic
relationships, with updated numbers of genera and species for each
family
• updated mammalian structural and functional adaptations, as well as ordinal fossil histories
•
recent advances in mammalian phylogeny, biogeography, social behavior,
and ecology, with 12 new or revised cladograms reflecting current
research findings
• new breakout boxes on novel or unique aspects of mammals
• new work on female post-copulatory mate choice, cooperative behaviors, group defense, and the role of the vomeronasal system
• discussions of the current implications of climate change and other anthropogenic factors for mammals
Maintaining the accessible, readable style for which Feldhamer and his coauthors are well known, this new edition of Mammalogy is the authoritative textbook on this amazingly diverse class of vertebrates.