Donald Frederick Hoffmeister

Introduces such zoo animals as the pigmy hippopotamus, zebra, leopard, and koala bear.

"Arizona is rich in the number of mammalian species found within its borders, but the complexity of the state's biota long precluded a complete reference work on the subject. Mammals of Arizona is that long-awaited definitive work, covering the distribution, life history, behavior, and ecology of each of 138 native species. All known records of occurrences are included, as well as taxonomic relationships and geo­graphic variations within species. Introductory chapters review big and small game, furbearers, pre­ dators and their control, and diseases transmissible to man. An analysis of the relationships of Arizona mammals to vegetative communities is presented as well. The major portion of the book is then devoted to species accounts, complemented by a wealth of illustrations, tables, and distribution maps. Mammals of Arizona is based on the author's thirty-year study of nearly 43,000 specimens in museums throughout North America and hundreds of pages of field notes collected in various institutions. As a definitive reference, the volume will prove invaluable to a basic understanding of mammals' role in the ecology of the Southwest"--Dust jacket flap.