Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands

Author: George R. Zug
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520955404
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 388

Book Description
The Pacific is not only the world’s largest body of water; its vast expanse also includes an extraordinary number and diversity of oceanic islands, from Palau and the Marianas east of the Philippines to Cocos Island and the Galápagos west of the Americas. The isolation of these islands and the extreme distances between them long prevented scientists from studying their floras and faunas in a comparative context. But now George R. Zug, one of the world's foremost experts on the diverse reptiles and amphibians of the Pacific Basin, offers the first such systematic overview in more than half a century. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands is a compendium of frogs, lizards, snakes, and turtles living on these lands and in the adjacent waters of the oceanic islands in the tropical Pacific. The means to identify each species is included, along with entries that describe each animal's form, coloration, habitat, distribution, reproductive biology, and natural history. Color plates of more than 75 percent of the species also help to facilitate visual identification. This accessible and informative guide is the most comprehensive field guide available and will appeal to both novice sightseers and professional naturalists.

Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California, Including Its Pacific Islands and the Islands in the Sea of Cortés

Author: L. Lee Grismer
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520925203
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 416

Book Description
The Baja California peninsula is home to many forms of life found nowhere else on earth. This, combined with the peninsula's rugged and inaccessible terrain, has made the area one of the last true biological frontiers of North America. L. Lee Grismer is not only the foremost authority on the amphibians and reptiles of Baja California, but also an outstanding photographer. He has produced the most comprehensive work on the herpetofauna of the peninsula and its islands ever published. With its stunning color images, detailed accounts of many little-known species, and descriptions of the region's diverse environment, this is the definitive guide to the amphibians and reptiles of a fascinating and remote region. The culmination of Grismer's quarter century of fieldwork on the Baja peninsula and his exploration of more than one hundred of its islands in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortés, this book gives information on the identification, distribution, natural history, and taxonomy of each species of amphibian and reptile found there. Preliminary accounts of the life history of many of the salamanders, frogs, toads, turtles, lizards, and snakes are reported here for the first time, and several species that were almost unknown to science are illustrated in full color. The book also contains new data on species distribution and on the effect of the isolated landscape of the peninsula and its islands on the evolutionary process. Much of the information gathered here is presented in biogeographical overviews that consider the extremely varied environments of Baja California in both a contemporary and a historical framework. An original and important contribution to science, this book will generate further research for years to come as it becomes a benchmark reference for both professionals and amateurs.

Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands

Author: George R. Zug
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520274954
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 316

Book Description
The Pacific is not only the worldÕs largest body of water; its vast expanse also includes an extraordinary number and diversity of oceanic islands, from Palau and the Marianas east of the Philippines to Cocos Island and the Gal‡pagos west of the Americas. The isolation of these islands and the extreme distances between them long prevented scientists from studying their floras and faunas in a comparative context. But now George R. Zug, one of the world's foremost experts on the diverse reptiles and amphibians of the Pacific Basin, offers the first such systematic overview in more than half a century. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands is a compendium of frogs, lizards, snakes, and turtles living on these lands and in the adjacent waters of the oceanic islands in the tropical Pacific. The means to identify each species is included, along with entries that describe each animal's form, coloration, habitat, distribution, reproductive biology, and natural history. Color plates of more than 75 percent of the species also help to facilitate visual identification. This accessible and informative guide is the most comprehensive field guide available and will appeal to both novice sightseers and professional naturalists.

Reptiles of the Solomon Islands

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Reptiles
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Book Description

Status of Conservation and Decline of Amphibians

Author: Harold Heatwole
Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
ISBN: 1486308392
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 248

Book Description
Amphibians are among the most threatened groups of animals on earth. In part due to their highly permeable skin, amphibians are highly sensitive to environmental changes and pollution and provide an early-warning system of deteriorating environmental conditions. The more we learn about the impact of environmental changes on amphibians, the better we as humans will be able to arrest their demise, and our own. Status of Conservation and Decline of Amphibians brings together the current knowledge on the status of the unique frogs of Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. Although geographically proximate, each region presents unique challenges and opportunities in amphibian research and conservation. This book contributes to an understanding of the current conservation status of the amphibians of each region, aims to stimulate research into halting amphibian declines, and provides a better foundation for making conservation decisions. It is an invaluable reference for environmental and governmental agencies, researchers, policy-makers involved with biodiversity conservation, and the interested public.

The amphibians and reptiles of Luzon Island, Philippines, VIII: the herpetofauna of Cagayan and Isabela Provinces, northern Sierra Madre Mountain Range

Author: Rafe M. Brown
Publisher: PenSoft Publishers LTD
ISBN: 9546426695
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 128

Book Description
Long celebrated for its more than 7,100 islands, the Philippines is a country in Southeast Asia that shares only with Madagascar the distinction of having been designated as both a Megadiverse Nation and a Global Biodiversity Conservation Hotspot. The terrestrial vertebrate fauna of the northeastern Philippines, specifically Luzon Island, has been the subject of intense interest since the first historical explorations. Historically, numerous works considered the biodiversity of Luzon as ?depauperate? in the sense that they was presumed to contain a reduced number of species shared with a continental mainland source. This view has persisted until recently, when a renewed interest in faunistic studies of the northern Philippines has produced a series of notable discoveries, drawing attention to high levels of species diversity and endemism in the northern reaches of the archipelago. We provide the first report on the herpetological biodiversity (amphibians and reptiles) of the northern Sierra Madre Mountain Range, northeast Luzon Island, Philippines. We combine new and historical data, and the results of recent fieldwork, to highlight at least 101 species present in this unique region of the archipelago. Not only is this fauna largely endemic (approximately 70%), but also our results add to a nascent body of literature suggesting that the northern portions of the archipelago may be substantially more diverse than currently appreciated.

Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest

Author: David Moskowitz
Publisher: Timber Press
ISBN: 0881929492
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 365

Book Description
It's possible to safely see fascinating wildlife—if you know what to look for and where, and if you understand what you see—whether you are far from civilization or right in your own backyard. Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest includes illustrated descriptions for more than 180 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates most common in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, northern California, Idaho, and western Montana. With more than 460 photographs, hundreds of scale drawings, and more than 90 distribution maps. This book belongs in every pack and is a must-have for nature lovers of all ages and skill levels.

Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California, Including Its Pacific Islands and the Islands in the Sea of Cortés

Author: L. Lee Grismer
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520224175
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 418

Book Description
"Grismer brings together an impressive amount of original field and laboratory research, supplemented with a thorough review of existing literature, to present a first-rate accounting of the Baja California herpetofauna. This book sets the stage for further research of the reptiles and amphibians of this remarkable region."—Robert Hansen, Editor, Herpetological Review "Grismer is without question the foremost authority on the herpetofauna of the Baja Peninsula; no one else could have produced such a detailed, comprehensive treatment of the amphibians and reptiles of the area. The book stands as a monument to Lee's many years of dedicated work on the Baja herpetofauna and will be the standard reference on the subject for many years to come."—Julian C. Lee, author of The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatán Peninsula

Alien Reptiles and Amphibians

Author: Fred Kraus
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402089465
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 571

Book Description
Transportation of species to areas outside their native ranges has been a feature of human culture for millennia. During this time such activities have largely been viewed as beneficial or inconsequential. However, it has become increasingly clear that human-caused introductions of alien biota are an ecological disruption whose consequences rival those of better-known insults like chemical pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. Indeed, the irreversible nature of most alien-species int- ductions makes them less prone to correction than many other ecological problems. Current reshuffling of species ranges is so great that the present era has been referred to by some as the “Homogocene” in an effort to reflect the unique mag- tude of the changes being made. These alien interlopers often cause considerable ecological and economic d- age where introduced. Species extinctions, food-web disruptions, community alte- tions, ecosystem conversion, changes in nutrient cycling, fisheries collapse, watershed degradation, agricultural loss, building damage, and disease epidemics are among the destructive – and frequently unpredictable – ecological and economic effects that invasive alien species can inflict. The magnitude of these damages c- tinues to grow, with virtually all environments heavily used by humans now do- nated by alien species and many “natural” areas becoming increasingly prone to alien invasion as well. Attention to this problem has increased in the past decade or so, and efforts to prevent or limit further harm are gaining wider scientific and political acceptance.

Amphibians and Reptiles of Montana

Author: J. Kirwin Werner
Publisher: Mountain Press Publishing Company
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 280

Book Description
Although reptiles and amphibians are different classes of vertebrates, they have long been studied together in the field of herpetology. This guide provides an account of the herpetology of Montana, first providing descriptions of herpetofauna biology, habitats in Montana, field observation, and conservation and management, then moving onto species accounts of 36 salamanders, frogs, toads, turtles, lizards, and snakes occurring in the western state. Including numerous color photographs, the species accounts provide information on morphology, taxonomy and distribution, habitat and behavior, and reproduction and development. Also provided are a simplified key to aid identification, a glossary, and appendices detailing reproductive features and other information. Annotation : 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).