Wild Cats of the World

Description

From the rabbit-sized Black-footed Cat of southern Africa to bear-killing Amur tigers of the Russian Far East, the 38 members of the Cat Family include some of the world's most fascinating and magnificent species on earth. Supremely adapted for the kill, all cats are obligate carnivores; they survive only by preying upon other animals, and they have become one of evolution's most successful predatory lineages of mammals. Wild Cats of the World explores the spectacular Cat Family in unprecedented depth. Drawing on thousands of scientific papers and direct observations in the field, each species is profiled at length, covering all aspects of felid behaviour and ecology. The book is profusely illustrated with colour plates, black-and-white sketches showing important aspects of cat life and accurate images of every species' skull. Over 400 spectacular photographs are included, many of them showing extremely rare and little-known cats published here for the first time. Each profile includes an up-to-date range map and explains the most current science on how cats are classified and related to each other, including some very recent, surprising discoveries. Despite their great evolutionary success, the challenges facing felids in the modern world are profound. Only one, the ubiquitous domestic cat, does not require dedicated conservation action to ensure survival for the next century. The book also explores the current conservation issues facing wild cats, the increasingly perilous status of many species and how they can be saved.

Luke Hunter is an Australian biologist and one of the leading names in wild cat conservation. He has worked on the ecology and conservation of carnivores since 1992, and he is currently the President of Panthera, the New York cat conservation organisation he helped to create in 2006. He has written over 120 scientific papers and popular articles on cats and other carnivores including A Field Guide to the Carnivores of the World. Wild Cats of the World is his seventh book.

This is a must-have cat book: an absolute gem. * Stephen Mills, BBC Wildlife magazine *