Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Vol. 7: Rodents II

Volume One: "The content of the first volume dedicated to Carnivores is as follows: Cats, Linsangs, Civets, Genets and Oyans, African Palm Civets, Hyenas, Mongooses, Madagascar Carnivores, Dogs, Bears, Red Panda, Raccoons, Skunks, Weasels and relatives." Volume Two: "Hoofed mammals include many families of large, well-known animals. In the second volume of HMW they are revealed in all their fascinating detail, in riveting accounts written by some of the most renowned authorities in the world. The species accounts supply complete and up-to-date information at a time when new and increasingly sophisticated methods of DNA analysis are reshaping our knowledge of these species; to give just one example, the family Bovidae has almost doubled its size in the last five years, to the 279 distinct species known today." Volume Three: "This, the third volume of HMW, counts more than 470 [primates]: 138 species of prosimians--the lemurs, lorises, pottos and tarsiers in Africa and Asia; 156 species of monkeys in the New World tropics; another 158 monkeys in the Old World tropics; and 25 apes, 19 of them gibbons along with six chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. Much of this extraordinary diversity has been discovered only in the past two decades. In the 1980s the count was 180 species. Now we know so much more of their diversity, and this volume of HMW presents them in all their remarkable variety of shapes, sizes, colors, habits and specializations." Volume Four: "Marine mammals include some of the most fascinating animals on Earth. Large, majestic whales and stunning, playful dolphins have provided mysterious companionship to humans at sea for hundreds of years. These magical creatures, along with the equally fascinating manatees, dugongs, seals, sea lions, and walrusses, have developed a completely different set of adaptations from their terrestrial ancestors and relatives. Volume 4 of the HMW series provides complete accounts of all species and families in these important groups. Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs showing different behaviours of all of them, the text contains the latest up-to-date information on all families of sea mammals." Volume Five: "Platypus, Echidnas, Opossums, Kangaroos, Koalas, Wallabies, and Wombats - Monotremes and marsupials include a host of animals that have intrigued mammal fanciers for centuries. Monotremes are a very distinctive ancient group of mammals with only a handful of extant species in Australia and New Guinea and marsupials, with roots in South America, likely reached Australia via Antarctica some 50 million years ago. With relatives remaining in America, Marsupials have adapted to an amazing diversity of lifestyles and habitats. Volume 5 of HMW provides complete coverage of these two important groups of mammals. Lavishly illustrated with color photographs showing different behaviors of all of them, the text contains the latest up-to-date information on all families of Monotremes and Marsupials, both Australasian and American." Volume Six: "Rats and mice and their relatives in the order Rodentia make up almost half of the species of mammals. Because of this, we polled our readers and the overwhelming positive response was to produce two volumes treating Rodents. Volume 6 will include all of the families of rodents other than Cricetidae and Muridae, plus the order Lagomorpha, which includes rabbits and pikas. This radiation includes some 35 families, which have spread around the globe, occupying every continent except Antarctica, and countless islands in all major oceans. As usual, the text includes up-to-date information on every species, and each species is illustrated. Each family account includes color photographs documenting a variety of behaviors of these diverse and interesting mammals. This volume also includes a Special Chapter: An overview of rodents, including chapters on morphology, taxonomy, and evolutionary history; why rodents are studied; and tools for studying them." Volume Seven: "Rodents include species that have colonized almost every available habitat on earth, and others that have adapted to human beings and followed them as they also spread across the globe. Volume 7 completes the order Rodentia--which represents arguably the most important order of mammals, both in terms of number of species, and in geographic distribution--covering the families contained in the suborder Myomorpha, including the two largest families, Cricetidae and Muridae. This volume also includes a Special Chapter: Priorities for Conserving the World's Rodents by Thomas Lacher Jr., Richard Young, Samuel Turvey, Rosalind Kennerley & Nicolette Roach." Volume Eight: "The penultimate volume of the Handbook of Mammals of the World covers all of the remaining orders (Cingulata, Pilosa, Afrosoricida, Macroscelidea, Scandentia, Dermoptera, and Eulipotyphla), other than bats (Chiroptera). From armadillos, sloths, and anteaters to shrews and moles, Volume 8 includes a wide variety of interesting small or medium-sized mammals from around the world. Most of them have different kinds of invertebrate and insectivorous diets, except sloths and colugos, which are arboreal herbivores and folivores. This volume also includes a Special Chapter: Conservation Priorities and Actions for the orders Cingulata, Pilosa, Afrosoricida, Macroscelidea, Scandentia, Dermoptera, and Eulipotyphla by Rosalind Kennerley, Thomas Lacher, Jr, Victor Mason, Shelby McCay, Nicolette Roach, P.J. Stephenson, Mariella Superina & Richard Young." Volume Nine: "Volume 9 completes the Handbook of Mammals of the World series, and it deals with the bats, order Chiroptera. Our knowledge of bats has exploded in the past two decades, and all of that information is reflected in this volume. The number of recognized species has increased by more than 400 during that time and is still growing. Bats occupy almost every habitat on six continents and their ecology is incredibly diverse. Pollinators and seed dispersers for thousands of species of plants, bats are critical for the maintenance of tropical ecosystems. As always, the text includes up-to-date information on every species, and each one is carefully illustrated. The family accounts include color photographs documenting a variety of behaviors of these interesting mammals."… (more)