Elbroch, M.2006. Animal Skulls. A Guide to North American Species. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 727 pp. ISBN 978-0-8117-3309-0, price (paper), $44.95

Abstract

M. Elbroch 2006. Animal Skulls. A Guide to North American Species. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 727 pp. ISBN 978-0-8117-3309-0, price (paper), $44.95. This book, authored by the intrepid natural historian and master wildlife tracker, Mark Elbroch, is a celebration of the vertebrate skull. As emphasized in the Introduction to this attractive and well-crafted book, the human mind—encased in its own protective skull—is endlessly fascinated by the skulls of fellow vertebrates. Although we may not understand why, the allure of animal skulls is very real, and this book feeds the human desire to know more about them. Animal Skulls is a unique reference and identification guide to skulls of 275 vertebrate species of North America. The book is extremely well illustrated with 1,434 black-and-white drawings and 123 color photographs. Some of the photographs are especially creative, including the cougar ( Puma concolor ) photo on page 42 superimposed with a semitransparent image of its skull. Topics in Animal Skulls are presented in a logical order. The Introduction includes a section entitled Importance of Collections , which is a powerful statement on the vital role of collections as repositories for biodiversity. The Bones of the Skull (Chapter 1) provides skull vocabulary, reference diagrams of skulls, and defines standard measurements used by scientists to describe the skull. The beautifully illustrated skulls and careful use of color to identify particular bones make this chapter especially useful to the lay naturalist. Chapter 2 focuses sequentially on teeth, jaws, the senses (as interpreted from cranial morphology), skull variation, and ways to determine age and sex of the skull's owner. Chapter 3 ( Tracking Across the Surface of Animal Skulls ) provides an unusual …