Mammal Species of the World, Third Edition, by D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder. 2005. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 2000pp. ISBN 0801882214 (hardback, two volumes, $125.00). Wilson and Reeder's Mammal Species of the World is the classic reference book on the taxonomic classification and distribution of the more than 5400 species of mammals that are known to exist today. The third edition includes detailed information on nomenclature and, for the first time, common names. Each concise entry covers type locality, distribution, synonyms, and major reference sources. The systematic arrangement of information indicates evolutionary relationships at both the ordinal and the family level. This indispensable reference work belongs in public and academic libraries throughout the world, and will be a valuable resource for every biologist who works with mammals. Available from: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363, USA, Phone: (410) 516-6900, Fax: (410) 516-6968. Orders: 1-800-537-5487, Fax: (410) 516-6998. More information online at < http://www.press.jhu.edu>.

Manual de Huellas de Algunos Mamíferos Terrestres de Colombia, por José Fernando Navarro y Javier Muñoz. 2000. Edición de Campo, Medellín. 136pp. Este libro está hecho para brindar información básica sobre mamíferos neotropicales. Describe e ilustra 33 especies de mamíferos de las que se pueden encontrar con mayor probabilidad sus rastros en el campo. Para cada una de ellas se incluyen ilustraciones de sus huellas con medidas aproximadas y dimensión de la pisada, una descripción de la especie, su taxonomía y nombres vernáculos con los cuales se la conoce en Colombia, datos ecológicos y de distribución, entre otros. Este libro está hecho para ser llevado al campo; puede ser utilizado por profesionales, naturalistas aficionados, estudiantes y el público en general. Con esta publicación se pretende generar el interés por el conocimiento y la conservación de nuestros mamíferos amenazados. Mas información: < http://www.humboldt.org.co>.

Noninvasive Study of Mammalian Populations, by W. E. Evans and A. V. Yablokov. 2004. Pensoft Publishers, Sofia, Bulgaria. 142pp. ISBN 9546422045 (hardback, €37.80). Although it is a tenet of particle physics that nothing can be observed without its being altered by the observer, biologists have long sought to do precisely that. Apart from their theoretical interest, noninvasive techniques have particular value for the conservation of threatened and endangered species. Written by two specialists in marine mammal research, this book is an expanded English-language version of an earlier monograph published in Russian. As such it is written from a distinctly Russian perspective, in particular with its emphasis on phenetics — a Russian school of evolutionary thought based on the “phene,” which the authors define as “any discreet [sic] phenotypic character” which may be used to explore the frequencies of genotypes in a population. Although their expertise in cetacean biology inevitably inclines this book towards the ocean realm, much of what they detail may be applied to terrestrial mammals as well. Available from: Pensoft Publishers, Geo Milev Str., No 13a, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria, Tel: +359-2-9674070, Fax: +359-2-9674071, e-mail: <pensoft@mbox.infotel.bg>. More information available at < http://www.pensoft.net>.

Patterns of Behavior: Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, and the Founding of Ethology, by Richard W. Burkhardt Jr. 2005. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 648pp. ISBN 0226080900 (paperback, $29.00). This book traces the scientific theories, practices, subjects, and settings integral to the construction of a discipline pivotal to our understanding of the diversity of life. Central to this tale are Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen, 1973 Nobel laureates whose research helped legitimize the field of ethology and bring international attention to the culture of behavioral research. Demonstrating how matters of practice, politics, and place all shaped “ethology's ecologies,” Burkhardt's book offers a sensitive reading of the complex interplay of the field's celebrated pioneers and a richly textured reconstruction of ethology's transformation from a quiet backwater of natural history to the forefront of the biological sciences. Contents: Acknowledgments; Introduction; Theory, practice, and place in the study of animal behavior; 1. Charles Otis Whitman, Wallace Craig, and the biological study of animal behavior in America; 2. British field studies of behavior: Selous, Howard, Kirkman, and Huxley; 3. Konrad Lorenz and the conceptual foundations of ethology; 4. Niko Tinbergen and the Lorenzian program; 5. Lorenz and National Socialism; 6. The Postwar reconstruction of ethology; 7. Ethology's new settings; 8. Attracting attention; 9. Tinbergen's vision for ethology; 10. Conclusion: Ethology's ecologies. Available from: The University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA, Tel.: 773.702.7700, Fax: 773.702.9756, and online at < http://www.press.uchicago.edu>.

The Rise of Placental Mammals: Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades, edited by Kenneth D. Rose and J. David Archibald. 2005. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 280pp. ISBN 080188022X (hardback, $95.00). From shrews to blue whales, placental mammals are among the most diverse and successful vertebrates on Earth. Arising sometime near the Late Cretaceous, this broad clade of mammals contains more than 1,000 genera and approximately 4,400 extant species. Although much studied, the origin and diversification of the placentals continue to be a source of debate. Here paleontologists Kenneth D. Rose and J. David Archibald have assembled some of the world's leading authorities to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date evolutionary history of placental mammals. Focusing on anatomical evidence, the contributors present an unbiased scientific account of the initial radiation and ordinal relationships of placental mammals, representing both the consensus and significant minority viewpoints. This book will be valuable to students and researchers in mammalogy, paleontology and evolutionary biology. Available from: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363, USA, Phone: (410) 516-6900, Fax: (410) 516-6968. Orders: 1-800-537-5487, Fax: (410) 516-6998. More information online at < http://www.press.jhu.edu>.

Shaping Primate Evolution: Form, Function and Behavior, edited by Fred Anapol, Rebecca Z. German and Nina G. Jablonski. 2004. Cambridge University Press, New York. 442pp. ISBN 0521811074 (hardback, $130.00). This book on how form is described in primate biology, and its consequences for function and behavior, includes contributions by internationally respected researchers of quantitative primate evolutionary morphology. Each chapter elaborates upon the analysis of the form-functionbehavior triad. The book is unique, therefore, not only in the diversity of the topics discussed, but in the range of levels of biological organization addressed — from cellular morphometrics to the evolution of primate ecology. Contents: Preface: Shaping primate evolution — F. Anapol, R. Z. German and N. G. Jablonski; 1. Introduction — Charles Oxnard: An appreciation — M. Cartmill. Part I. Craniofacial Form and Variation. 2. The ontogeny of sexual dimorphism — R. Z. German; 3. Advances in the analysis of form and pattern — P. O'Higgins and R. L. Pan; 4. Cranial variation among the Asian Colobines — R. L. Pan and C. P. Groves; 5. Craniometric variation in early Homo compared to modern gorillas — J. M. A. Miller, G. H. Albrecht and B. Gelvin. Part II. Organ Structure, Function and Behavior. 6. Fiber architecture, muscle function and behavior — F. Anapol, N. Shahnoor and J. Patrick Gray; 7. Comparative fiber type composition and size in the antigravity muscles of primate limbs — F. K. Jouffroy and M. F. Medina; 8. On the nature of morphology — R. S. Kidd; 9. Plant mechanics and primate dental adaptations — P. W. Lucas; 10. Convergent evolution in brain ‘shape’ and locomotion in primates — W. de Winter. Part III. In Vivo Organismal Verification of Functional Models. 11. Jaw adductor force and symphyseal fusion — W. L. Hylander, C. J. Vinyard, M. J. Ravosa, C. F. Ross, C. E. Wall and K. R. Johnson; 12. Hind limb drive, hind limb steering? Functional differences between fore and hind limbs in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) quadrupedalism — Y. Li, R. H. Crompton, W. Wang, R. Savage and M. M. Günther. Part IV. Theoretical Models in Evolutionary Ecology. 13. Becoming bipedal — N. G. Jablonski and G. Chaplin; 14. Modelling human walking as an inverted pendulum of varying length — J. T. Stern Jr., B. Demes and D. Casey Kerrigan; 15. Estimating the line-of-action of posteriorly inclined resultant jaw muscle forces in mammals using a model that minimizes functionally important distances in the skull — W. S. Greaves. Part V. Primate Diversity and Evolution. 16. The evolution of primate ecology — J. G. Fleagle and K. E. Reed; 17. Charles Oxnard and the aye-aye: Morphometrics, cladistics and two very special primates — C. P. Groves; 18. From ‘Mathematical Dissection of Anatomies’ to morphometrics — F. L. Bookstein and F. James Rohlf; 19. Design, level, interface and complexity: Morphometric interpretation revisited — C. E. Oxnard; 20. Postscript and acknowledgements — C. E. Oxnard. Available from: Cambridge University Press, 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA, Fax: 1-212-691-3239. General Address (Orders & Customer Service): Cambridge University Press, 100 Brook Hill Drive, West Nyack, NY 10994-2133, USA, Tel: 1-845-353-7500, Fax: 1-845-353-4141. Website: < http://www.cup.org>.

What Makes Biology Unique? Considerations on the Autonomy of A Scientific Discipline, by Ernst Mayr. 2004. Cambridge University Press, New York. 246pp. ISBN 0521841143 (hardback, $30.00). This collection of new and revised essays argues that biology is an autonomous science rather than a branch of the physical sciences. Ernst Mayr, widely considered the most eminent evolutionary biologist of the 20th century, offers insights on the history of evolutionary thought, critiques the conditions of philosophy to the science of biology, and comments on several of the major developments in evolutionary theory. Notably, Mayr explains that Darwin's theory of evolution is actually five separate theories, each with its own history, trajectory and impact. Ernst Mayr, commonly referred to as the “Darwin of the 20th century” and listed as one of the top 100 scientists of all time, was at the time of publication Professor Emeritus at Harvard University. What Makes Biology Unique? is the 25th book he wrote during his long and prolific career. Contents: Preface: What is there at issue?; Introduction; 1. Science and sciences; 2. The autonomy of biology; 3. Teleology; 4. Analysis or reductionism; 5. Darwin's influence on modern thought; 6. Darwin's five theories of evolution; 7. Maturation of Darwinism; 8. Selection; 9. Kuhn's scientific revolutions; 10. Another look at the species problem; 11. The origin of man; 12. Are we alone in this vast universe?; Glossary. Available from: Cambridge University Press, 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA, Fax: 1-212-691-3239. General Address (Orders & Customer Service): Cambridge University Press, 100 Brook Hill Drive, West Nyack, NY 10994-2133, USA, Tel: 1-845-353-7500, Fax: 1-845-353-4141. Website: < http://www.cup.org>.