Lemurs of Madagascar
Third edition - Part of the Conservation International tropical field guide series.
Written by Russell A. Mittermeier, Olivier Langrand, Christian Roos, Frank Hawkins, Edward E. Louis, Peter Kappeler and 1/2 dozen others!
762 pages and more than 530 images, illustrations and maps.
As you might gather from the extensive list of authors and the number of pages, this is a very, very comprehensive guide. With 101 lemurs now known to science, that is an average of 7.6 pages each and 5 images or maps!. Amazingly, when the first edition of this book was written, in 1994, only 50 species were known, but since then another 43 species and subspecies have been identified, and this book recognises a further 8 as a result of greater understanding of their systematics! With 101 species Madagascar has the second widest variety of primates of any country, after Brazil, but by far and away the most endemics (100% was always going to be hard to beat).
Madagascar is renowned for its wildlife, and especially its endemic lemurs. However 6 are listed as Critically Endangered, 37 and Threatened, and 42 as data deficient, so the actual situation needs serious and urgent attention. So much of their habitat has been destroyed, and this is getting worse not better, with 90% of the original forests already having disappeared. The population, although not too large for an island this size, is growing fast (3% annually) and this will just add to the pressure on resources.
Just buying this book contributes towards lemur conservation.
Anyone visiting Madagascar should take a copy of this book with them.
RRP £34.99
To buy from NHBS, click Lemurs of Madagascar
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