Review of Mammals of North America – Second Edition (Princeton Field Guides)

In our ongoing quest to become more well-rounded naturalists and promote the great outdoors in areas besides birding, we were delighted to get a copy of Mammals of North America: Second Edition (Princeton Field Guides) from Princeton University Press. This is a perfect guide for naturalists of all ages and skill levels.

Mammals of North America was published in 2009 and is a wonderfully compact and easy to use field guide. The layout is the commonly seen split of text/info on the left pages and artwork plates on the right-hand pages.

The text includes small range maps plus identification information, size, habitat, and behavioral information when it assists in identifying as well as finding the mammal in the wild.

The guide covers all 462 mammals found in the United States and Canada with 112 color plates. Bonus plates 113 and 114 showcase commonly seen scats of over 40 mammals.

Animal tracks are included in the front and back plus there are plates showing whale and dolphin dive sequences. The “Quick Mammal ID Chart” provides a fast index to where to look in the guide for particular species. These are arranged mostly by type and size, not taxonomically.

From the simple format to the sturdy cover, Mammals of North America is a must for all naturalists and a welcomed edition to the Birdfreak Libary.

Disclaimer: We received a copy of Mammals of North America: Second Edition (Princeton Field Guides) from the publisher to review on Birdfreak.com.