Books on Wildlife
The following books represent some of our favorite field guides and references. We have provided a brief review of each book based on our own use either as a field guide or as an important reference book.
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The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals Author: Jonathon Kingdon
We consider this the best book to take on a trip to Africa due to the amount of information in it and the small size and light weight of this paperback. There are 480 color drawings as well as 280 maps covering 460 mammal species' distributions. Associated with the color plates is information on each species, including description, habitat, food, behavior, adaptations, distribution, and rarity. Of the 1150 species listed in the book, most of us visiting Africa will be lucky to see more than 100 mammal species. But as a good field reference, this is the book, and it is nice to know that the other 1,000 species are out there somewhere.
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book cover available.
Photo copyright Roxanne Bittman. Photo courtesy of Cheetah Films & Photography
Cheetahs of the Serengeti Plains Author: T. M. Caro
This is a biology book covering the life-history and behavioral ecology of cheetahs based on an in depth study in the Serengeti of Tanzania. It includes detailed information on cheetah diet, reproduction, survivorship, and population. There is an introductory chapter on the Serengeti and a good overview chapter on the natural history of cheetahs. The book concludes with an important chapter on conservation of this highly specialized predator. This book is for the biologist and those interested in learning all they can about cheetahs.
The Serengeti Lion Author: George B. Schaller
While this book would be best read by a biologist due to its technical nature, it is well written in the first person with many specific observations of lions and their behavior. There are chapters on the diet, reproduction, population biology, and habitats of lions. One of the more fascinating chapters is on communication between lions. There are good overview chapters on other predators including leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, and hyenas. This is probably the most complete book on lions and very good reading.
The Encyclopedia of Mammals Edited by David MacDonald
This book is the single best reference for mammals of the world. This 1995 edition has been significantly updated from previous editions. This large hardback book includes 1150 beautiful color photographs accompanied by 800 full-color drawings that cover about 4,000 species of mammal. The book is very informative and provides information on each species, their anatomy, life-history, evolution and rarity. This is an indispensable reference book.