One hundred and five species of mammals are native to the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. The greatly varied terrain, climate, and vegetation make its mammalian life exceptionally varied, ranging from tiny shrews to great elks, from bats to aquatic beavers and muskrats, from desert-dwelling kangaroo rats to forest-loving chipmunks, and from an assortment of mice and rats to predatory cougars and coyotes. This fully revised and updated edition of The Mammals of Trans-Pecos Texas provides a guide to the identification of these animals and summarizes important facts about their lives. With nearly every species illustrated with accurate, detailed pen-and-ink drawings by artist Chester O. Martin and color plates of some of the most iconic mammals that live in the Trans-Pecos region, it exemplifies how biologists integrate art with science to develop a wider appreciation for nature. The account of each species is arranged to contain a brief description of the animal, the geographic distribution of the species, and a discussion of the natural history of the mammal. This authoritative work brings together an appreciation for and understanding of the diversity of fauna, life histories, and ecologies within a unique and fascinating landscape.

With all new illustrations, color photographs, revised species accounts, updated maps, and a sturdy flexible binding, this new edition of the authoritative guide to bats in Texas will serve as the field guide and all-around reference of choice for amateur naturalists as well as mammalogists, wildlife biologists, and professional conservationists. Texas is home to all four families of bats that occur in the United States, including thirty-three species of these important yet increasingly threatened mammals. Although five species, each represented by a single specimen, may be regarded as vagrants, no other state has a bat fauna more diverse, from the state’s most common species, the Brazilian free-tailed bat, to the rare hairy-legged vampire. The introductory chapter of this new edition of Bats of Texas surveys bats in general—their appearance, distribution, classification, evolution, biology, and life history—and discusses public health and bat conservation. An updated account for each species follows, with pictures by an outstanding nature photographer, distribution maps, and a thorough bibliography. Bats of Texas also features revised and illustrated dichotomous keys accompanied by gracefully detailed line drawings to aid in identification. A list of specimens examined is located at batsoftexas.com.

This indispensable reference work belongs in public and academic libraries throughout the world and on the shelf of every biologist who works with mammals.

From reviews of previous editions: “This is the standard reference about Texas mammals.” —Wildlife Activist “A must for anyone seriously interested in the wildlife of Texas.” —Texas Outdoor Writers Association News “[This book] easily fills the role of both a field guide and a desk reference, and is written in a style that appeals to the professional biologist and amateur naturalist alike. . . . [It] should prove useful to anyone with an interest in the mammal fauna of Texas or the southern Great Plains.” —Prairie Naturalist The Mammals of Texas has been the standard reference since the first edition was coauthored by William B. Davis and Walter P. Taylor in 1947. Revised several times over the succeeding decades, it remains the most authoritative source of information on the mammalian wildlife of Texas, with physical descriptions and life histories for 202 species, abundant photographs and drawings, and distribution maps. In this new edition, David J. Schmidly is joined by one of the most active researchers on Texas mammals, Robert D. Bradley, to provide a thorough update of the taxonomy, distribution, and natural history of all species of wild mammals that inhabit Texas today. Using the most recent advances in molecular biology and in wildlife ecology and management, the authors include the most current information about the scientific nomenclature, taxonomy, and identification of species, while also covering significant advances in natural history and conservation.