The natural history of Canadian mammals
By: Donna Naughton ; colour art, Paul Geraghty, Julius Csotonyi, and Brenda Carter ; line art, Donna Naughton, Micheline Beaulieu-Bouchard, and Alan McDonald
Contributors: Canadian Museum of Nature
Publisher: University of Toronto Press; Co-published by Canadian Museum of Nature
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Toronto [Ont.]; Buffalo [N.Y.]; [Ottawa, Ont.]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 784
ISBN-13: 9781442644830
Subjects: Natural history; Mammals; Identification; Mammifères; Sciences naturelles
Other titles: Canadian mammals
Description: "A Northern Pocket Gopher can dig an amazing half a metre of tunnel through compacted clay soil in just 15 minutes. North American Beavers, along with humans, are the only mammals whose impact on their environment is so massive that it can be clearly seen with the naked eye from outer space. And there really are Narwhals - the single-tusked mammals that likely inspired the unicorn legend - living in the waters surrounding Greenland.

Learning about any of these mammals on their own brings out fascinating traits and stories. But when considered alongside the entire mammal population of Canada - from the tiny Olive-Backed Pocket Mouse to the enormous Killer Whale, and the Arctic-dwelling Polar Bear to the more southerly Red Bat - a spectacular portrait emerges of the diversity and beauty of Canada's animal life.

The Natural History of Canadian Mammals is a beautifully illustrated, up-to-date guide to all 215 known species of mammals in Canada. It features brand-new, full-colour images of each species, as well as stunning photographs from Canadian Geographic magazine's national photography competitions depicting the animals in their natural environments.

Along with being a visual treat, this book is jam-packed with information accessible to readers at all levels. Detailed descriptions are provided of each mammal's appearance, habitat, and behavior, while colour maps show their full distribution across Canada, North America, and globally. The book also includes practical guides on tracking and identification for readers who would like to learn how to spot mammals in the wild. Among its most special features is a series of colour plates with vignettes of the Canadian representatives of each group, sized relative to one another for easy comparison and linked to the full species accounts later in the book.

Comprehensive and immensely valuable, The Natural History of Canadian Mammals will become a treasured companion for scientific researchers, animal lovers, and all those wishing to gain a greater appreciation of Canada's natural wonders. The Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada's national natural history museum, continues to author these wonderful books in its goal to inspire a greater understanding of the natural environment."--pub. desc.
Notes: "The selection of species to include in this book was based on two principles: 1. Those that in recent times had a viable, naturally occurring wild population in Canada, its continental islands, or in the marine waters of its continental shelf ... [and] 2. Species introduced into Canada by humans"--P. xiv.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 729-778) and index.
Table of contents: title: 1. Order Didelphimorphia: New World opossums ; opossums: Family DidelphidaeVirginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana); title: 2. Order Primates: apes and monkeys; title: 3. Order Rodentia: rodents; title: mountain beavers: Family Aplodontiidae ; Mountain Beaver (Aplodontia rufa); title: squirrels: Family Sciuridae ; Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) ; Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) ; Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) ; Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata) ; Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris) ; Woodchuck (Marmota monax) ; Vancouver Island Marmot (Marmota vancouverensis) ; Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) ; Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) ; Columbian Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus columbianus) ; Franklin's Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus franklinii) ; Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis) ; Arctic Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus parryii) ; Richardson's Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonii) ; Cascade Mantled Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus saturatus) ; Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) ; Yellow-pine Chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) ; Least Chipmunk (Tamias minimus) ; Red-tailed Chipmunk (Tamias ruficaudus) ; Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) ; Townsend's Chipmunk (Tamias townsendii) ; Douglas' Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) ; Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus); title: beavers: Family Castoridae ; North American Beaver (Castor canadensis); title: kangaroo rats and pocket mice: Family Heteromyidae ; Ord's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ordii) ; Olive-backed Pocket Mouse (Perognathus fasciatus) ; Great Basin Pocket Mouse (Perognathus parvus); title: pocket gophers: Family Geomyidae ; Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursarius) ; Northern Pocket Gopher (Thomomys talpoides); title: jumping mice: Family Dipodidae ; Woodland Jumping Mouse (Napaeozapus insignis) ; Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius) ; Western Jumping Mouse (Zapus princeps) ; Pacific Jumping Mouse (Zapus trinotatus); title: rats, mice, voles and lemmings: Family Cricetidae ; voles, lemmings and muskrat: Subfamily Arvicolinae ; Northern Collared Lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) ; Ungava Collared Lemming (Dicrostonyx hudsonius) ; Ogilvie Mountains Collared Lemming (Dicrostonyx nunatakensis) ; Richardson's Collared Lemming (Dicrostonyx richardsoni) ; Sagebrush Vole (Lemmiscus curtatus) ; Nearctic Brown Lemming (Lemmus trimucronatus) ; Rock Vole (Microtus chrotorrhinus) ; Long-tailed Vole (Microtus longicaudus) ; Singing Vole (Microtus miurus) ; Montane Vole (Microtus montanus) ; Prairie Vole (Microtus ochrogaster) ; Tundra Vole (Microtus oeconomus) ; Creeping Vole (Microtus oregoni) ; Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) ; Woodland Vole (Microtus pinetorum) ; North American Water Vole (Microtus richardsoni) ; Townsend's Vole (Microtus townsendii) ;; title: Taiga Vole (Microtus xanthognathus) ; Southern Red-backed Vole (Myodes gapperi) ; Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus) ; Northern Red-backed Vole (Myodes rutilus) ; Common Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) ; Heather Vole (Phenacomys intermedius) ; Northern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys borealis) ; Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi); title: New World rats and mice: Subfamily Neotominae ; Bushy-tailed Woodrat (Neotoma cinerea) ; Northern Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys leucogaster) ; Keen's Mouse (Peromyscus keeni) ; White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) ; Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) ; Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis); title: Old World rats and mice: Family Muridae ; House Mouse (Mus musculus) ; Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) ; Roof Rat (Rattus rattus); title: New World porcupines: Family Erethizontidae; title: North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum); title: Nutria: Family Myocastoridae ; Nutria (Myocastor coypus)