The first volume of the Handbook of the Mammals of Middle and South America presents a comprehensive synthesis of the historical, biogeographic, and conservation dimensions of Latin American mammalogy. This volume offers a rigorous, region-wide account of mammalian research across Middle and South America and the Caribbean region, with country-specific chapters documenting the historical development of mammalogy in over 20 countries.

• A country-by-country chronicle of the history of mammalian research .
• In-depth analyses of speciation , mammal taxonomy , and biogeography , with cutting-edge insights from phylogenomics.
• Critical discussions on climate change , invasive species , wildlife trafficking , and Anthropocene extinctions.
• Reviews of mammal conservation strategies, human-mammal interactions , and the shifting dynamics of mammal habitats and biodiversity hotspots.

• Explorations of paleontological transformations from the Middle Miocene to the Holocene , including the rise and fall of megafauna.
  With chapters on zoonotic diseases, conservation status, and the Linnaean shortfall in species discovery, this volume is an indispensable resource for academics, students, and professionals in mammalogy, ecology, and wildlife management. Rich in historical context and scientific rigor, it illuminates the past and present of mammal science in the regionand helps shape its future.

  A landmark reference for understanding the mammals of Latin America and the Caribbean regionwhere biodiversity meets biogeography, and history meets hope.

  Reviews key research on the mammalian species of Middle and South America Explores history, current status and management strategies Written by experts in the field of mammalogy

  Autorentext

  Mario Melletti is an Italian freelance wildlife biologist and member of the African Buffalo Initiative Group and the Wild Pig Specialist Group, both part of the IUCN. During his PhD studies he worked at the Department of Animal and Human Biology of the University of Rome "La Sapienza", Italy and at the Department of Conservation Biology of the Estación Biólogica de Doñana (CSIC-EBD) Sevilla, Spain. For about two and a half years, he studied the ecology and behavior of the forest buffalo in the Central African Republic. Mario as well has conducted research on other large mammals and participated in several projects and surveys on African mammals inin Burkina Faso, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Since2010, he published various books on ecology, conservation and management of large mammals. He authored many scientific publications and book chapters.

  Diego G. Tirira is a Research Professor at the Universidad Yachay Tech, Urcuqui, Imbabura, Ecuador. Since 1990 Diego studied mammals and worked for their conservatio. He studied at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Universidad Internacional de Andalucia and Universidad de Salamanca (Spain), with theses on the ecology of fish-eating bats, Antarctic seals, wildlife trafficking, and primate conservation. He has been invited to speak at several universities and congresses on all continents. He founded and was the first president of the Ecuadorian Association of Mammalogists (2010-2016) and founded several groups of mammal specialists in Ecuador. He is a research associate at the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), in Ecuador, and at the Museo de Zoologia (QCAZ), at the PUCE. He published several books on mastozoology, scientific papers and popular science articles.

  Sonia Gallina-Tessaro is a co-founder of the Instituto de Ecología, A.C., located in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, where she has been a researcher for more than 47 years, with degrees from the Faculty of Sciences of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico. She is currently a full researcher. Since the beginning, she has been dedicated to the generation of knowledge about wildlife, with long-term studies focused on the communities of medium-sized mammals and especially on the ecology and behavior of deer, with the aim of their conservation. Most of her research has been conducted in various protected areas in Mexico. She is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences and the National System of Researchers, as well as coordinator of the North American Region of the IUCN-SSC-Deer Specialist Group, and a member of the EAGL DE MEXICO expert group on protected areas within the IUCN Green List. As a result of her research, she has published a high number of scientific articles, book chapters and books.

  Jorge Ortega is a Professor at the Departamento de Zoología, Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Mexico City. Holding a Ph.D. in Ecology from the Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México, his research interests are in eco-immunogenetics, behavioral ecology, and molecular biology of bats. He is the editor of several books, including 50 Years of Bat Research: Foundations and New Frontiers and Sociality in Bats, both published by Springer Nature.

  Inhalt

Part I. THE HISTORY OF NEOTROPICAL MAMMALOGY: THREE CENTURIES OF DISCOVERIES AND RESEARCH,- Part II. DIVERSITY, DISTRIBUTIONS AND BIOGEOGRAPHY IN THE NEOTROPICS.- PART III. MAMMAL CONSERVATION IN THE NEOTROPICS.- PART IV. LATE PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE HISTORY OF MAMMALS IN MIDDLE AND SOUTH AMERICA.