Smithers' mammals of Southern Africa: a field guide PDF
Preview Smithers' mammals of Southern Africa: a field guide
SMITHERS’ MAMMALS of Southern Africa A field guide revised and updated by Peter Apps Illustrations by Clare Abbott, Penny Meakin and Noel Ashton Spoor drawings by Hazel Smithers Published by Struik Nature (an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd) Reg. No. 1966/003153/07 Wembley Square, First Floor, Solan Street, Cape Town, 8001 PO Box 1144, Cape Town, 8000 South Africa www.randomstruik.co.za First published in 1986 by Southern Book Publishers (Pty) Ltd Second edition published in 1996 by Southern Book Publishers (Pty) Ltd Third edition published in 2000 by Struik Nature This edition published in 2012 by Struik Nature Copyright © original text 1986: Reay H.N. Smithers Copyright © revised text 1996, 2000, 2012: Peter Apps Copyright © in illustrations 2000, 2012: Clare Abbott, Penny Meakin, Hazel Smithers, Noel Ashton and Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd Copyright © in published edition, 2012: Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd Publisher: Pippa Parker Managing editor: Helen de Villiers Editor: Julia Casciola Design director: Janice Evans Designer: Tessa Fortuin Illustrators: Clare Abbott, Penny Meakin, Hazel Smithers and Noel Ashton Proofreader: Tessa Kennedy All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner(s). ISBN 978 1 77007 913 7 (Print) ISBN 978 1 43170 152 0 (ePub) ISBN 978 1 43170 153 7 (PDF) Preface The quarter of a century since publication of the first edition of Reay Smithers’ Land Mammals of Southern Africa – A Field Guide has seen a steady expansion of knowledge about southern African mammals, and in the 12 years since its third edition there has been a radical change in our understanding of the evolutionary relationships among mammals. This fourth edition of the ‘Small Smithers’ incorporates both updated information on field biology and the new names of species and higher taxa that reflect recent changes in systematics and taxonomy. The information in the Smithers’ field guides has always been drawn directly from the zoological research literature and other authoritative sources, but because most of the book’s readers will be lay people, and a good number of them will not be native English speakers, I have avoided technical terms when there is a close enough equivalent in ordinary language. Some specialists might feel that the precision of language to which they are accustomed has been sacrificed, but specialists in any field too often forget that their technical terms are bafflingly unfamiliar to lay readers, and even to specialists in other disciplines. Readers who encounter terms that are unfamiliar, in this book or in others, can refer to the glossary on p. 380. Clare Abbott’s illustrations and Hazel Smithers’ spoor drawings from the first edition have proved themselves to be timeless and have been used here again, together with the colour illustrations and line drawings by Penny Meakin and Noel Ashton that first appeared in the third edition, and six new colour illustrations by Penny Meakin. The enduring success of the ‘Small Smithers’, and especially its value to wildlife professionals, is a lasting tribute to Reay Smithers and to the researchers whose results it draws on, especially those local specialists (named on p. 6) who contributed to the enlarged third edition. In addition to those acknowledged in the third edition, I would like to thank Dr Hanneline Smit for providing up-to-date information and reference photographs on western, Cape and Karoo rock elephant-shrews; Dr Mac van der Merwe for photographs of Angolan free-tailed bats; Fenton ‘Woody’ Cotterill for advice on bats; Hanlie Winterbach for data on lions; and the publishing team at Random House Struik, namely Pippa Parker, Helen de Villiers, Julia Casciola, Janice Evans and Tessa Fortuin. Contents Introduction Using the book The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ The subregion: climate, vegetation and habitats Watching mammals Bats Order: Chiroptera Fruit bats Suborder: Megachiroptera Fruit bats Family: Pteropodidae Insect-eating bats Suborder: Microchiroptera Sheath-tailed and tomb bats Family: Emballonuridae Free-tailed bats Family: Molossidae Vesper bats Family: Vespertilionidae Slit-faced bats Family: Nycteridae Horseshoe bats Family: Rhinolophidae Leaf-nosed and trident bats Family: Hipposideridae Elephant-shrews / Sengis Order: Macroscelidea Elephant-shrews / Sengis Family: Macroscelididae Shrews and hedgehogs Order: Eulipotyphla Shrews Family: Soricidae Hedgehogs Family: Erinaceidae Golden moles Order: Afrosoricida Golden moles Family: Chrysochloridae Rodents Order: Rodentia Suborder: Hystricognathi Mole-rats Family: Bathyergidae Porcupine Family: Hystricidae Canerats Family: Thryonomyidae Family: Petromuridae Family: Petromuridae Dassie rat Suborder: Sciurognathi Rats, mice and gerbils Family: Muridae Dormice Family: Myoxidae Squirrels Family: Sciuridae Springhare Family: Pedetidae Rabbits and hares Order: Lagomorpha Rabbits and hares Family: Leporidae Dassies Order: Hyracoidea Dassies/hyraxes Family: Procaviidae Elephants Order: Proboscidea African (savanna) elephant Family: Elephantidae Odd-toed ungulates Order: Perissodactyla Zebras Family: Equidae Rhinoceroses Family: Rhinocerotidae Hippopotamus Order: Whippomorpha Hippopotamus Family: Hippopotamidae Pigs and hogs Order: Suiformes Warthog and bushpig Family: Suidae Ruminants Order: Ruminantia Giraffe Family: Giraffidae Antelope and buffalo Family: Bovidae Carnivores Order: Carnivora Aardwolf and hyaenas Family: Hyaenidae Cats Family: Felidae Wild dog, jackals and foxes Family: Canidae Otters, weasel, polecat, ratel Family: Mustelidae Tree civet Family: Nandiniidae Civets and genets Family: Viverridae Mongooses and suricate Family: Herpestidae Primates Order: Primates Galagos / bushbabies Family: Galagidae Monkeys and baboons Family: Cercopithecidae Aardvark Order: Tubilidentata Aardvark Family: Orycteropodidae Pangolins Order: Pholidota Pangolin Family: Manidae Seals Order: Carnivora Fur seal Family: Otariidae Whales and dolphins Order: Whippomorpha Suborder: Cetacea Dolphins Family: Delphinidae Right whale Family: Balaenidae Rorquals Family: Balaenopteridae Glossary Further reading and reference sources List of scientific names List of Afrikaans names List of common names
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