National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals: (Revised and Expanded) (National Audubon Society Field Guides)

From the shrews to the bears, this guide is what one should have in the field. . .especially in Alaska.

This guide includes all sorts of animals in and around my area. It has a very thorough explanation of the animals and how to identify them. Whats really useful is the pictures. There are several pictures for each species including Summer coat & Winter coat. This is especially helpful if you are out animal watching during different times of year. I love going out exploring and coming home to look up the critters I saw.

These are the BEST field guides we have ever owned. We have the trees, western USA birds, trees and sealife ones and they are a wonderful size and fit easily into a coat pocket or glove compartment of ones car and of course a back pack. They make a GREAT gift and during the Christmas season a great stocking stuffer.

They are so complete as far as information goes, telling the reader what the migration and nesting habits are, where the birds can be found and they have wonderful photographs that are so useful when out on a hike. Our son loved them growing up and with a set of binoculars on a hike a person can find hours passing and not realize it.

The covers on the books (vinyl) make it easy to keep them clean. Buy at least one and I assure you, you will be hooked..........

I have several Audubon field guides, but this is the best of them all in my opinion. In this book, the editors made a wise decision to write more expansive descriptions, including a lot of information about the animal's behavior, eating habits, breeding, migration, and, often, its conservation status. The editors also show a sensitivity to man-made trends. For example, the domstic cat is listed here, as well as wild horses. In the former case, human carelessness has actually created a viable, but problematic, animal species; in the latter, humans intentionally let loose hundreds of horses at the end of the "wild west" days, and the animals have now actually found a niche.

The editors also did an excellent job of including rare species (such as the lynx and bobcat) as well as very common species (such as all the different kinds of squirrels).

It is unlikely that most amateur naturalists would have a chance to actually encounter every mammal in this book, so it is great to have a reference like this. Like other Audubon field guides, just reading the descriptions is fascinating. I would venture to guess that most people will discover species they never knew about, or learn new facts about what they thought were familiar species. Some of my favorites are the wolverine and the wild cats of southern North America.

This book, as well as most of the Audubon field guides, is a terrific resource for igniting children's imaginations. Reading about the animals' lives should help give children insights into the diversity and interconnectedness of species, and spark an appreciation for the beauty inherent in the wild.

I thoroughly enjoy my Audubon field guides and the Mammals of North America is the most Interesting of the list. It is definitely a must have for anyone interested in animals. With tons of color photos of virtually every species in North america this is a great buy! Descriptions are longer and have more information than the Peterson series but some photographs are hard to see the identifyable traits of the specimen. Perfect size to throw in the pack and head out to the field to spot your favorites.