The mammals of Madagascar are remarkable because at least 103 of the 123 species present on the island are endemic as a result of many centuries of separation from the African mainland. Indeed apart from the bats, the only species not endemic to the island are introduced. Mammals of Madagascar provides a thorough and up to date overview of the species thus far described from Madagascar together with information on the handful of introduced species. Information has been drawn from a wide range of sources and the importance of the text has been enhanced by the addition of unpublished data from eminent field biologists together with the author's firsthand experience.
For most naturalists, it is the lemurs which encapsulate the magic of the Malagasy fauna. This book covers all the species in as great a depth as current knowledge allows.
The book also provides visitors to the island with information about the best places to see the mammals and field identification has been one of the main considerations in the writing of the species accounts.
Complementing a photographic guide to Madagascan birds by Peter Morris, this is a guide to all the mammals of the island. The majority - all the lemurs, for example - are shown in photographs. It also portrays some of the smaller species, such as tenrecs and rodents.
