| View Larger Image | SALAMANDERS U S & CANADA | Hardcoverby Petranka Jw (Author)
| List Price: | $65.00 | | Price: | $52.00 | | You Save: | $13.00 (20%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Hardcover | | Publisher: | Smithsonian | | Edition: | 1st Edition | | Page Count: | 587 Pages | | Publication Date: | July 17, 1998 | | Sales Rank: | 363,668rd |
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 9 reviews)
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Must Have! by John Farnen (Middle of the darned Bible Belt)  5 Stars
May 29, 2009
To put it very simply this is THE current standard for caudate identification in North America. Whether you are an amateur or professional herpetologist, this book is a must have on your bookshelf.
127 species, beautiful color plates, and information specifically written for identification and sexing of indigenous caudates in North America.
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The authoritative handbook by game lover (Miami, FL USA) 5 Stars
January 08, 2009
This is still, to my knowledge, the only complete handbook to North American species of salamanders since the 1943 classic Handbook by Sherman C. Bishop. It has all the latest scientific findings in the species accounts (as of the late 90s, but still quite up-to-date in most respects), as well as good photos of each species and a section with beautiful color plates. This book therefore has what it takes to satisfy both amateur naturalists and professional herpetologists who need a reference to these fascinating creatures. For amateur naturalists like this reviewer, a book like this can help instill a sense of wonder at the unexpected variety of colorful fauna that lurks beneath logs and rocks in our woodlands, and helps to explain the unique survival strategies of each species.
It is true that since the publication of this book, a lot of taxonomic changes have continued to occur, especially the discovery of many new cryptic species based on genetic analysis, as well as, apparently, the upgrading of almost every subspecies to the species level. (By way of example, when this book was written, the slimy salamander complex had already been split into 13 different species, and this was about to happen but had not yet occurred with the Appalachian woodland salamanders.) In my humble opinion, this trend does not necessarily always express the relationships of different forms in the clearest way, since some forms may be closer to the full species level than others and nature, being the irrepressible creative force that it is, does not always neatly conform to our precise notion of the species concept. The author of this book seems to feel that way himself in many instances and disagrees with some of the new revisions, for reasons that he clearly explains. Personally I, too, am rather baffled as to why two populations that look exactly the same and can only be distinguished in the lab would be considered to be completely different species; it seems to defy common sense! Nevertheless, if the current splitting trend has an upside, it may be that with more populations being recognized as distinct species, better protection might be given to those that require it. And, in the words of the immortal bard, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." :-)
In summary, this book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in these obscure but fascinating creatures and how they fit into our natural world.
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oh no you didn't! by A. Wolf 5 Stars
November 23, 2007
I strongly disagree with the one star review of this book. The taxonomy in this book is not the least bit out of date. The fact is there is no taxonomy for salamanders that is agreed on by all herpetologists. In this book Petranka offers his reasons for the taxonomy that he has accepted. He mentions species that he doesn't recognize that others do, and he explains precisely why he doesn't recognize them. Likewise, there are species that he accepts that some others do not, but again, he explains why. I wouldn't necessarily consider Petranka a splitter. In some cases he splits species that I had no idea could be split i.e. Mountain Dusky Salamander. There are, however, other species that are commonly split that he doesn't split, for example the Slimy Salamander. Whether you agree with his classification or not, he at least backs it up with facts about interbreeding and/or genetic evidence, and informs you of the taxonomies that others recognize. This is the authoritative work on North American Salamanders. If you're thinking about buying this book, then you should definitely buy it.
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Excellent by Holly Pourtless (Apopka, FL United States) 5 Stars
July 26, 2001
This is a great book for Salamander lovers, like myself. Petranka provides well gathered information and writes it out on paper well. I would not change a thing. I am a student and have used this on all my papers and Reports. i has given me well grades and it provides excellent information. i Rate it 5 stars. So give it a try! Then go out and turn over a few logs youll love what you see!
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Essential reference for serious herpetologists 5 Stars
August 01, 2000
Petranka provides a masterful summary of our current state of knowledge about the taxonomy, natural history, ecology, and behavior of North American salamanders. No other work comes close to matching the depth of coverage of this book. It is no surprise that this work received the Wildlife Society's prestigious Book of the Year Award.
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