Best mammal field guide for Southern Africa? (1 Viewer)

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BrockwellBee

Well-known member

• Dec 31, 2012

• #1

Hi, what is the 'ultimate' mammal guide to southern Africa? I am not too concerned with weight. More interested in id tips, good pictures and some detail about the species. I will be looking for all sorts of mammals in South Africa next year from whales and big cats to shrews and mice so a guide to include all (if not most) of these would be superb. Any suggestions? Thanks!

1) App - Smither's Mammals of Southern Africa: A Field Guide - 2000 or 2012?

or

2) Stuart - Field Guide to the Mammals of Southern Africa - 2008

Any other suggestions? Any experience of either of these guides?

 

njlarsen

Gallery Moderator

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Dec 31, 2012

• #2

I have used the Stuart and Stuart and liked it. I did not have to look at mice, though

Niels

 

Steve Babbs

Well-known member

• Jan 1, 2013

• #3

I recommend getting Stuart and Stuart and the Kingdon pocket guide: they both have advantages and disadvantages.

 

Mike Richardson

Formerly known as Skink1978

• Jan 1, 2013

• #4

BrockwellBee said:

Hi, what is the 'ultimate' mammal guide to southern Africa? I am not too concerned with weight. More interested in id tips, good pictures and some detail about the species. I will be looking for all sorts of mammals in South Africa next year from whales and big cats to shrews and mice so a guide to include all (if not most) of these would be superb. Any suggestions? Thanks!

1) App - Smither's Mammals of Southern Africa: A Field Guide - 2000 or 2012?

or

2) Stuart - Field Guide to the Mammals of Southern Africa - 2008

Any other suggestions? Any experience of either of these guides?

Click to expand...

If weight is not an issue take them both. Smither's is probably the best book for most of the big animals and gives a decent amount of information. I also prefer illustrations to photos.
However, I find the photos in Stuart far better for identifying the smaller rodents and bats.

Kingdon is good book but does not cover most small mammals past genus level.

 

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pietrod

Dr.

• Jul 3, 2018

• #5

Did anything change in the past 5 years?

Smither's Mammals of Southern Africa: A Field Guide seems to not be printed anymore, did something more updated replaced it?

Cheers and thank you

 

Farnboro John

Well-known member

• Jul 3, 2018

• #6

Something you ought to be aware of is that Southern Africa like everywhere else has introduced mammals in the wild: but field guides seem to ignore their existence. I encountered Fallow Deer and it being out of context (though utterly familiar) threw me for a while. Others have seen e.g. Coypu.

Do any new guides cover introductions?

John

 

Andy Adcock

Worst person on Birdforum

• Jul 3, 2018

• #7

Mark Andrews has been working on a new Collins guide for Africa generally, for quite some time, due according to Wildsounds, next March



A

 

Last edited: Jul 3, 2018

Mike Richardson

Formerly known as Skink1978

• Jul 4, 2018

• #8

IMO the updated (2015) version of Stuarts' Field Guide to Mammals of Southern Africa is the best book available at the moment. It's the only field guide I have needed on my last 2 trips to southern Africa, and it is up to date on recent changes in taxonomy (or at least it was). As I'm very interested in the smaller mammals, I don't find any of the other field guides of any use.

https://amazon.co.uk/Stuarts-Field-...ts'+Field+Guide+to+Mammals+of+Southern+Africa

Edit: To answer John's question, I'm pretty sure the above guide does cover introduced species. It certainly has Grey Squirrel and (I think) Fallow Deer.

 

Last edited: Jul 4, 2018