Ecuador and the Galapogos Islands (Traveller's Wildlife Guides): Traveller's Wildlife Guide - Softcover

Pearson, David L

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1566565308 ISBN 13: 9781566565301

Publisher: Interlink Books, 2010

Synopsis

Travellers to Ecuador want to experience tropical forests and other stunning habitats and catch glimpses of exotic wildlife: toucans and parrots, monkeys and anteaters, frogs and toads, crocodiles and snakes. On the Galapagos Islands, curious visitors want to see with their own eyes the exotic, unique, tame wildlife that stimulated Charles Darwin to formulate the theory of evolution. In this book is all the information you need to find, identify, and learn about Ecuador's magnificent animal life. The authors, professional biologists, selected for color illustrations more than 500 of Ecuador's most common insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals -- the species you are most likely to see. In one easy-to-carry, entertainingly written, beautifully illustrated book, you will have as constant companion on your journey:

- Identifying and location information on the most frequently spotted animals - Up-to-date information on the ecology, behavior, and conservation of the families of animals to which the pictured species belong - Information on Ecuador's habitats and on the most common plants you will encounter - Brief descriptions of the region's most frequently visited parks and reserves.

About this title

From the Author:

Even though I'm a professional wildlife biologist, I've always found it difficult while travelling to identify animals I'm not familiar with and to get good, on-site information about them, unless I'm with an expert guide or willing to lug around several heavy books (a bird book, a mammal book, etc.). I've produced the Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guides to help solve this problem. The books in the series are aimed at travellers with an interest in animals, at people for whom some of the best moments of any trip to places like southern Mexico are unexpected encounters with birds and mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fish and other marine organisms. You will find in these books information on
(1) common animals likely to be seen,
(2) those that are commonly pointed out by tour-guides and tourist literature,
(3) some threatened ones that are, for example, subjects of conservation attention, and
(4) some that are of special ecological significance.

The books, endorsed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, are real field guides, with extensive color artwork produced by some of the world's top wildlife artists. To give you an idea of the "depth" of coverage, the Tropical Mexico book (which covers the Yucatan Peninsula, Cancun region, Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Tabasco states) includes detailed information and color illustrations on 104 plates of about 250 bird species, 55 mammals, 95 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 150 coral reef fish and other marine organisms - the book truly covers most of the animals you might encounter in this large region. Additionally, initial chapters in each book introduce the country or region, its habitats and climate, its common trees and other plants, and describe conservation projects and ecotourism there, as well as major eco-attractions (national parks, nature reserves, etc.). My hopes are that these books will be put to good use in the field by ecotravellers, will make trips more enjoyable, and will assist in conservation in a small way by helping to educate people about the wildlife and habitats in the countries through which they travel.

About the Author:

David L. Pearson is a Research Professor in the Department of Biology at Arizona State University. He has studied habitats from desert grasslands and coral atolls to tropical rain forests and has written more than 75 scientific articles.

Les Beletsky is a professional wildlife biologist and university zoology teacher. He is the author of numerous wildlife guides including Costa Rica in the same series.

About this edition

• Publisher: Interlink Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1566565308
• ISBN 13: 9781566565301
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 440