California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern
California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern

Author: Robert C. Thomson

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2016-06-21

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 0520964837

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One of the most important hotspots of herpetological biodiversity in the United States, California is home to many endemic amphibians and reptiles found nowhere else on earth. Many of these taxa have unique ecological and morphological specializations, and their management is an important conservation challenge. Increasing climate change impacts, human development, and extreme drought mean many of these species face an ever-greater risk of extinction. California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern provides an up-to-date synthesis of the current state of knowledge regarding the biology and conservation risks faced by 45 of California’s most sensitive amphibian and reptile species. With the goal of enhancing management based on the best available science, the authors developed a novel set of risk metrics to identify special concern species and the threats they face, including population declines, range size and restrictions, and ecological specializations and niche restrictions. In addition to detailed species accounts, this book provides a quantitative analysis of the conservation status and pressing management issues facing individual species and the state’s amphibian and reptile fauna as a whole. The volume focuses on identifying threats, concrete recommendations for management and recovery, and future research needs. The text is complemented by detailed distribution maps, color photos, and graphs. Written in nontechnical language, California Amphibian and Reptile Species of Special Concern will be a valuable resource to a broad range of users from resource managers, field biologists, and academic herpetologists to students and recreational naturalists. Published in association with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Amphibians and Reptiles of the US–Mexico Border States/Anfibios y reptiles de los estados de la frontera México–Estados Unidos
Amphibians and Reptiles of the US–Mexico Border States/Anfibios y reptiles de los estados de la frontera México–Estados Unidos

Author: Julio A. Lemos-Espinal

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press

Published: 2015-11-02

Total Pages: 626

ISBN-13: 1623493137

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In the first bilingual work on the reptiles and amphibians of the US–Mexico border, top herpetologists come together to describe the herpetofauna of the states of this region, which includes more than 600 species of toads, frogs, salamanders, turtles, sea turtles, alligators, lizards, snakes, and sea snakes that are found along the almost 2,000-mile border between the two countries. Each chapter is devoted to one state—four in the US (California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) and six in Mexico (Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas)—with text in both English and Spanish. The chapters contain an introduction to the area, a review of the research, a sketch of the state’s physiography, and a description of the species present as well as the pertinent conservation issues they face. A color photo gallery includes images of nearly all species. Almost 40 percent of the featured native species are shared between the US and Mexico, reminding us that animals depend on the integrity of natural landscapes and proving the need for a comprehensive, bilingual reference to help lead a shared effort in the management and conservation of the borderlands.

Handbook of Lizards
Handbook of Lizards

Author: Hobart Smith

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2018-04-11

Total Pages: 590

ISBN-13: 1501717995

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The most thorough treatment of lizards of the United States and Canada when first published in 1946, Handbook of Lizards has become a landmark among herpetologists and lizard specialists. Hobart M. Smith spent years compiling and organizing information on 136 species of lizards for this classic study. With more than 300 illustrations, including black-and-white photographs, labeled drawings, range maps, and illustrated keys, this volume serves as a still-relevant and convenient reference guide to the study of North American lizards. Darrel Frost, a prominent lizard specialist, provides a foreword for the 1995 paperback edition that underscores the work's relevance for herpetology today. In the first section, Smith covers in concise fashion the habits, life history, habitats, methods of collection and preservation, and structural features of lizards. The second section of the book considers each species under topics that are conveniently arranged for studying both living lizards and laboratory specimens: range, type, locality, size, color, scalation, recognition characters, habitat and habits, and references. Smith also discusses problems for further study and gives recommendations for special investigations of each species. The book concludes with an extensive bibliography.

Bulletin
Bulletin

Author: Zoological Society of San Diego

Publisher:

Published: 1924

Total Pages: 720

ISBN-13:

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Handbook of Turtles
Handbook of Turtles

Author: Archie Carr

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2018-10-18

Total Pages: 562

ISBN-13: 1501722476

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Having spent years studying turtles in their native habitats, Archie Carr brought together a wealth of information in this celebrated volume. Organized in clear and concise fashion, written in an engaging and lively manner, and furnished with black-and-white photographs, drawings, and maps, Handbook of Turtles (first published in 1952) gives a comprehensive summary of 79 species and subspecies of North American turtles. In the foreword to 1995 paperback edition, J. Whitfield Gibbons, renowned ecologist and natural history author, brings the book into historical perspective and supplies information to bring it up to date. In the introduction, Carr considers such topics as turtle physiology, reproduction, growth, adaptation, and behavior. The introduction also includes discussions of methods for collecting specimens, the evolutionary origins of turtles, and the mythology and folklore surrounding the turtle. The second part of the volume is organized according to keys that give identifying characteristics, life histories, and illustrations of each species. Under headings of geographical range, distinguishing features, description, habitat, habits, breeding, feeding, and economic importance, the volume provides detailed accounts of the various species and subspecies. Throughout Carr offers colorful recollections and anecdotes about his fieldwork and research.