Mammal Tracks & Sign: A Guide To North American Species Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
2003 National Outdoor Book Award Winner Detailed track and trail data for 135 species with actual-size track illustrations in one section Scat photos and data for dozens of animals The most thorough treatment of the subject ever published, this amazing guide brings together clear track and trail illustrations, range maps, and full-color photographs showing feeding signs, scat, tunnels, burrows, bedding areas, remains, and more, to give a wealth of information about hundreds of mammal species living in North America. How to find, identify, measure, and interpret the clues mammals leave behind--explained and illustrated like never before. Includes essays that contextualize tracking as a developing science continually garnering more interest and participation; included also are instructive anecdotes from the author's work as a tracker and wildlife expert. An invaluable resource for beginning or professional trackers and wildlife enthusiasts in all North American locations.
Paperback: 792 pages
Publisher: Stackpole Books; 1 edition (August 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0811726266
ISBN-13: 978-0811726269
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.6 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #112,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #91 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Mammals #619 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Fauna #3699 in Books > Sports & Outdoors
Mark Elbroch's new book is a scientifically credible look at trackingThe tracking world has once again gained a great resource in the new book by Mark Elbroch. "Mammal Tracks and Sign: A Guide to North American Species" fills a gap in the availability of good quality photographic guides to tracks and sign. This is a book for the serious tracker! At 784 pages, it is the most complete guide available today on the subject. The tracking world has long awaited a book to rival Olaus Murie's "A Field Guide to Animal Tracks," which has been the field standard for years. Elbroch's book covers some new ground, bringing together coverage of subjects that previously were found only in specialized, and not widely available, publications. These include: mammal remains, a large section of sign on vegetation, identification of kills, burrows/beds/lays/nests, and a big photographic section on scat and other secretions. The very complete section on gaits will help you identify those difficult trails. Photos, drawings, measurements, and range maps are included for each species. Throughout the text are sidebars with tips to distinguish between easily confused species. This is especially useful if you have ever found yourself struggling with an identification in the field. The appendices list other tracking resources for further study, including schools, books, web sites, tracking teachers, and more.The book is a little heavy to tote into the field, but it offers so much information that it may be prudent to buy two; one to haul into the field and bang around, and one to keep at home for reference. Its weight is compensated for by the fact that it has information you would find in many different field guides all in one book, so you can leave the others at home and bring this one along.
I have never really "tracked" animals before but recognition and identification of animal signs is part of my job. I recently received my copy of this book and in just the first few minutes of thumbing through it I can see that my money was well spent. The scope of this book is amazing... as its name states, its a guide to North American mammals and it covers them well from Florida to Alaska. Though the author states in his review below that there are 1058 color photos, it seems there is much more. With nearly 800 pages and most pages containing 2-4 photos, there is no shortage of of illustrations to reinforce the text. And speaking of text, the explanations of tracks and other signs are well detailed and typically include comparisons and notes on confusables. The author even includes notes about the habits of the animal which will help the reader understand how to better track it. Regarding a review below that suggests the need for a scale with the photos, the author uses pennies as scale for small tracks and scat while the larger signs I find sufficiently scaled against the background. And there is always a size description in the text in both English and metric units.Its hard to pin down what I most enjoy about this guide but I think it would come down to two things: First, the explanation of how to interpret tracks. The first 80 or so pages I think will really get a novice started on understanding how a track is left and how to interpret them. Second, the book is broken into sections. The bigger portion of the book contains track information but also in separate sections you get detailed information on beds/denning/nesting, scat/urine, feeding signs, etc...
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