Squirrels of the World

Squirrels of the World provides an excellent guide to the present state of scientific knowledge of the Sciuridae, but also sheds light on the degree of ignorance that remains.

Still think you know all you need to about the Sciuridae? What tree squirrel specializes in ant-eating, and has a distinct skull with a long snout? What bushy-tailed tree squirrel weighs only around 15 g, the size of a deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus)? I’m not going to tell you. Buy the book.

If you need a squirrel inventory, this is a good one. And it's nice to feel that this type of catalogue is still appearing in print rather than on some obscure website of doubtful reliability. The back cover 'blurb' reveals the authors' impeccable institutional affiliations.

A guide to the squirrels of the world is long overdue. This one is information rich, clearly written and beautifully presented. It incorporates an extensive bibliography (well over 1,500 references), discussions about important squirrel biology topics, critical conservation information, a large array of images and a massive collection of species-dependent information.

As a teacher of mammalogy, this is a valuable contribution and I expect that I will use it while preparing multiple lectures for my courses. As a squirrel devotee, I am sure this I will return to many of the species accounts to glean more information and thereby bolster my enthusiasm for these fascinating animals.

There is an astounding amount of information packed into this book, clearly demonstrating the breadth of knowledge by the authors.