Despite their low species density, hyenas are both unique and vital components of most African and some Asian ecosystems. Although there are only 4 species, they tend to clash with the interests of humans to a greater extent than many other mammals and one of the biggest obstacles facing those committed to the conservation of this species is the negative feelings that many people have towards hyenas. This action plan sets out to address some of the problems facing this species of animal, particularly the issue of public perception and awareness, and provides guidelines to rectify this situation.
Over the last 30 years the African wild dog population has declined dramatically. Dogs have disappeared from 25 of the 39 countries where they were previously found, and only 6 populations are believed to number more than 100. Today it is believed that only between 3,000-5,500 dogs remain in 600-1,000 packs with most to be found in eastern and southern Africa. The dramatic reduction in their population is attributed to a number of factors including human population growth and activities, deterioration of habitat, and contact with domestic dogs and their diseases. This Action Plan explores some of the reasons behind their disappearance and provides a number of proposed solutions split into 3 priority areas, ranging from habitat management and conservation to monitoring domestic dogs.
An ordered and scientific study of the ecology of all African carnivores larger than jackals. Numerous colour photographs taken by both authors, and excellent sketches by the internationally renowned wildlife artist Clive Walker, depict the life and habitat of these carnivores.
"This is an expanded and fully revised new edition of a highly acclaimed guide to the world’s carnivores―some of the most spectacular and feared creatures in nature. Covering all 250 species of terrestrial, true carnivores, from the majestic polar bear and predatory wild cats to the tiny least weasel, Luke Hunter’s comprehensive, up-to-date, and user-friendly guide features 93 color plates by acclaimed wildlife artist Priscilla Barrett that depict every species and numerous subspecies, as well as more than 400 drawings of skulls and footprints. Features new to this edition include revised and expanded species coverage, a distribution map for every species, 25 new behavioral illustrations, and much more. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, distribution and habitat, feeding ecology, behavior, social patterns, reproduction and demography, status, threats, lifespan, and mortality. An introduction includes a concise overview of taxonomy, conservation, and the distinct families of Carnivora." --Amazon.com.
The British Palaeolithic provides the first academic synthesis of the entire British Palaeolithic, from the earliest occupation (currently understood to be around 980,000 years ago) to the end of the Ice Age. Landscape and ecology form the canvas for an explicitly interpretative approach aimed at understanding the how different hominin societies addressed the issues of life at the edge of the Pleistocene world. Commencing with a consideration of the earliest hominin settlement of Europe, the book goes on to examine the behavioural, cultural and adaptive repertoires of the first human occupants of Britain from an ecological perspective. These themes flow throughout the book as it explores subsequent occupational pulses across more than half a million years of Pleistocene prehistory, which saw Homo heidelbergensis, the Neanderthals and ultimately Homo sapiens walk these shores. The British Palaeolithic fills a major gap in teaching resources as well as in research by providing a current synthesis of the latest research on the period. This book represents the culmination of 40 years combined research in this area by two well known experts in the field, and is an important new text for students of British archaeology as well as for students and researchers of the continental Palaeolithic period.
There is nowhere on Earth like Africa for observing wild cats. A week spent in the superb national parks and game reserves produces almost guaranteed sightings of the three most spectacular and sought-after species - lions, cheetahs and leopards. Yet, alongside the big three, Africa is home to a further seven species of cat far less conspicuous than their larger cousins. Of these, the caracal, serval and African wildcat are marginally better known, while few people have seen the remaining four - the black-footed cat, African golden cat, jungle cat and sand cat. Rarely observed and little understood, most have never been the focus of dedicated scientific research. This book covers all 10 species. Inevitably, the bias is towards the large, well-studied cats but it includes all that is known about the smaller species, including observations and data from their Asian range or from captivity to fill in some gaps. Chapters deal with evolution and anatomy, predation, social systems, reproduction and survival, competition and conflict, and conservation, and include the most current research findings from around the continent. Supported by a wealth of dramatic and beautiful images, this is a comprehensive overview of the cat family in Africa - from the famous and popular African parks with their celebrated, safari-friendly felids, to the few remaining places on the continent uninhabited by people, where a wild cat may spend its entire life without feeling the effects of the human presence. Unfortunately, such untrammelled freedom is rare. The challenges facing cats in Africa are profound. Only one, the ubiquitous domestic cat, does not require dedicated conservation activity to ensure its survival for the next century. More than at any time in history, the fate of Africa's wild cats is in our hands.
Acclaimed and coveted by both naturalists and lovers of wildlife illustration, Jonathan Kingdon's seven-volume East African Mammals has become a classic of modern natural history. This paperback edition makes Kingdon's remarkable artistic and scientific achievement—his hundreds of drawings and perceptive study of all the mammals in East Africa's species-rich fauna—available to the wide audience it deserves. Volume IIIA documents the carnivores of East Africa—lions, cheetahs, jackals, otters, civets, genets, mongooses, hyenas, and such lesser-known species as the zorilla and the aardwolf. The beauty of the animals, so vivid in these incomparable drawings, is made more poignant by the acknowledgment of their increasingly endangered status. Kingdon discusses the inevitable problems posed by large mammal communities in a developing continent and includes numerous maps indicating their declining ranges and populations.
Arid lands require that organisms inhabiting them be well-adapted to thrive or even just to survive. This book provides a review of the ecological adaptations - be they behavioural, physiological or morphological - of carnivores to arid environments. Following a general introduction into aridity and arid lands in Africa, the major carnivore families are presented. Ecological adaptations of carnivores in arid lands reveal the amplitude and resilience of the ecology of these animals. In setting up conservation measures, the nature and extent of such adaptations are important facets in determining the effective area and degree of heterogeneity required as habitat by a carnivore population so as to produce a viable unit.
Filling the gap between basic mammal guides and extensive academic texts, this resource answers everyday questions about mammals in an understandable fashion that will appeal to tourists, bush enthusiasts, and field guides. Addressing everything from how an elephant's trunk works to why the blue whale is not a fish, this question-and-answer guide includes more than 700 color photographs and a detailed section on tracks and signs, making it a must-have for anyone wanting to know about the mammals of the bush region.
