Mammals of Indiana: A Field Guide (Indiana Natural Science)
"John Whitaker is certainly the person to write this book! His long                 career dedicated to study of the mammals in Indiana and his experience in writing                 books such as this put him in excellent position to author this book." -- Don E.                 Wilson, Senior Scientist and Curator of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History,                 Smithsonian Institution(Don E. Wilson, Senior Scientist and Curator of Mammals, National Museum of Natural                 History, Smithsonian Institution 2011)Fifty-nine native mammal species currently live in Indiana, and eight                 species have been extirpated there. Whitaker (Indiana State Univ.) has produced a                 handsome, handy field guide for these midwestern mammals. This pocket guide has                 descriptions of all these species, including color animal and skull photos and                 distribution maps for each. Photos of habitats, trails, cuttings, burrows, nests,                 roosts, lodges, dams, mounds, pellets, and food items augment some descriptions....                 The guide's sections cover landscape and habitats, mammal ecology, scientific names,                 mammal identification, instructions on using the keys, identification keys, and                 species accounts (by family). The keys include helpful drawings and photos to                 illustrate identifying features, though some figures could have been described in                 more detail in their legends. Each species account covers taxonomy, distinguishing                 features and measurements, skull, dental formula, habitat, food, reproduction,                 range, habits, and comments. The guide concludes with a metric measurements                 conversion table, comprehensive 20-page glossary, extensive citation list, and                 relatively brief index. The book's stated purpose is to help people identify                 Indianan mammals, and the combination of text, photos, and maps therein should allow                 any reader interested in midwestern mammals to do so. Summing Up: Highly                 recommended. Academic and general audiences, all levels; mammalogy professionals. --                 ChoiceE. J. Sargis, Yale University, Jan. 2011(E. J. Sargis, Yale University )"Whitaker has produced a handsome, handy field guide for these midwestern                 mammals." -- Choice(Choice)