Britain's Mammals is a comprehensive and beautifully designed photographic field guide to all the mammals recorded in the wild in Great Britain and Ireland in recent times – including marine mammals, bats and introduced species that have bred. The book features 500 stunning photographs and incorporates invaluable tips and suggestions to help you track down and identify even the most difficult species.
This easy-to-use book provides an introduction to the different types of mammal. Concise species accounts focus on identification, and include up-to-date information on sounds, habitat, food, habits, breeding behaviour, and population and status, as well as descriptions of key field signs – including tracks, droppings and nests – that give away the presence of mammals even when they are out of sight. Guidance is also provided on ways of studying and observing mammals – including small-mammal trapping, bat detecting and whale watching. In addition, the book contains sections on mammal conservation, legislation and further sources of useful information. Handy and informative, this guide is the ideal companion for anyone interested in watching mammals in Great Britain and Ireland.
Dominic Couzens is one of Britain's best-known wildlife writers. His work appears in numerous magazines, including BBC Wildlife and BBC Countryfile, and his books include Secret Lives of Garden Wildlife. Andy Swash is an ecologist, a wildlife photographer and the managing director of WILDGuides. Robert Still, the cofounder of WILDGuides, is an ecologist and graphic artist and has designed more than thirty of its titles. Jon Dunn lives in Shetland, UK, working there and abroad as a wildlife tour guide and writer. His books include Britain's Sea Mammals (WILDGuides).
"Britain's Mammals is another new volume in the rapidly expanding WILDGuides series, combining high-quality photographs, innovative design and a succinct but informative text. For those familiar with Britain's Birds, it invites immediate comparison, [...] Each of the species accounts includes up to information-packed and lavishly illustrated pages. The coverage is comprehensive: all terrestrial and marine species in Britain and Ireland are dealt with, including rare vagrants, exotics (which have bred in the wild at least once in recent years) and feral species that live semi-wild [...] The book is so well written and structured that I think it will appeal equally to the relative novice and to those with a major interest in mammals. [...] The clever use of keys, charts and tables for the more complex information means that it is there for those who want it but need not trouble those who don't. Britain's Birds is an excellent field guide but represents just one option in an already (over)crowded market. In contrast, this book provides something that has not previously been available in a single concise volume. It is the standout option for anyone wanting a field guide or basic introduction to Britain's mammals."
– Ian Carter, British Birds, Volume 110, November 2017
"This is a very good book and the best of what is proving to be an excellent series of field guides."
– Mike Toms, British Trust for Ornithology
"An outstanding example of what a modern field guide can and should be [...] This is a must-have volume for any field biologist [...] The WILDGuides are rapidly becoming the definitive format for UK field guides [...] Their clear, concise and comprehensive format has set a new bar in the field guide arena."
– Peter Smithers, Antenna: Journal of the Royal Entomological Society