Handbook of Mammals of the World, 4: Sea Mammals

Abstract

Wilson, D. E., and R. A. Mittermeier (eds.). 2014. Handbook of Mammals of the World, 4: Sea Mammals. Lynx Ediciones, Barcelona, Spain, 614 pp. ISBN 978-84-96553-93-4, price (hard cover), €160.00. This is the 4th volume in a projected 8 volumes covering every mammalian species. As with the preceding volumes in this series, this one is lavishly illustrated (667 color photographs) and up to date. Each of the 19 families of marine mammals (pinnipeds, cetaceans, and sirenians) receives a chapter, and each chapter follows a similar format: systematics; morphological aspects; habitat; general habits; communication; food and feeding; breeding; movements, home range, and social organization; relationship with humans; and status and conservation. Following the text, there is a series of color plates (30 total) of each species or subspecies with separate drawings of males, females, young, color variants, and types when there are significant morphological differences (although the figures for a number of the beaked whales show only the male even though the female lacks the male’s protruding teeth in the lower jaw). Each species receives a separate write-up grouped under genus headings. The species write-up is repetitive in topic coverage: taxonomy; distribution (147 distribution maps); descriptive notes; habitat; food and feeding; breeding; activity patterns; movements, home range, and social organization; and status and conservation. However, in the chapter text, not all species are covered within each heading. Each chapter concludes with a general bibliography, and there is a bibliography following each species write-up. Only the introductory Sea Mammal Conservation chapter provides in-text citations. It is unfortunate that the subsequent family-level chapters did not continue this practice because with only a general bibliography at the end of the chapter, specific data and assertions in the chapters cannot be linked back to the primary literature. However, given that the authors are all very qualified to write their assigned chapters, one can be reasonably confident that the filtering of the primary literature thorough their lenses has been done competently. There has not been this … —Douglas Wartzok, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA; e-mail: wartzok{at}fiu.edu.