Mammals of Ontario

by Tamara Eder, Gary Ross (Illustrator), Terry Parker (Photographer)

Ontario's diverse mammal population is beautifully portrayed in this comprehensive and easy-to-use field guide. Colour-coded header bars organize the mammals into seven major groups. Large, full-colour photographs are complemented by colour illustrations, detailed drawings of prints and tracks and range maps. All species are indexed in an illustrated quick reference guide. The text includes detailed descriptions of habitat, food, young, den, range and similar species, as well as fun facts about each animal's natural history and behaviour.

Genres: Reference, Field Guides, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2002

About the author

See also Tamara Hartson

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as a compendium of interesting mammal facts. The book includes descriptions of the appearance, habitat, den/shelter (if applicable), and reproductive cycle of each animal as well as at least one image and a note of any other mammals that look similar and how to tell them apart. There are a few issues that make it not entirely functional as a field guide -- the maps are small and not detailed or easy to read, for instance -- but I do think anyone interested in the topic will learn something new from the descriptions. I've even learned some new things about the behaviours of animals I see regularly, which I appreciate. The book is for the most part clear and concise, though at times terminology is used without definitions being provided and not all of these terms appear in the brief glossary.

[Lindsay Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

EDIT: Oh boy. I didn't listen to my own advice and spent the last month convinced that my local Leporidae was a European Hare. The google now tells me that I am very very wrong.

Original review:
Hmm... hoof print illustrations for elk and caribou are identical, and don't match either walking trail. So, that's not good. Combine this with range maps difficult to read at a glance, certain misleading layout choices, and inconsistent information, and I'm more than a little hesitant to suggest using this as a reference.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the subject and I leaned some new things from reading this book, but as a guide I find it disappointing. The range maps are confusing and the written descriptions share some interesting facts but are uneven in quality, often seem incomplete or half-hearted.