Herbert A. Raffaele has worked in the Caribbean for over four decades. He directed wildlife conservation for Puerto Rico's Department of Natural Resources and served as chief of Latin American and Caribbean programs for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. James W. Wiley has conducted ornithological research throughout the Caribbean since 1972. Raffaele and Wiley are coauthors of Birds of the West Indies (Princeton).

Texte du rabat

"This well-organized book is an exemplary resource on Caribbean wildlife. It fills a major gap in the literature for lay audiences and is most welcome."--Catherine Levy, Windsor Research Centre, Jamaica

Résumé
A guide to the natural world of the Caribbean islands. It contains 600 vivid color images featuring 451 species of plants, birds, mammals, fish, seashells, and more.

Contenu

Acknowledgments 4 Introduction 4 Goal 4 Geographic Coverage 4 Species Coverage 5 Species Accounts 5 The Islands 8 Geography 8 Climate 8 Biogeography 8 Lost Faunas 10 Habitats 13 Hurricanes and Their Influence on Habitats and Wildlife 15 Folklore 16 Environmental Threats and Conservation 17 Environmental Threats 17 Conservation in Practice 26 Species Accounts Terrestrial Life 29 Plants 30 Terrestrial Mammals 92 Birds 100 Terrestrial Reptiles 196 Amphibians 212 Freshwater Fish and Shrimp 220 Terrestrial Invertebrates 222 Marine Life 229 Conserving the Marine Environment of the Caribbean and the World: A Global Imperative, by The Honorable Freundel Stuart, Q.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Barbados 230 Marine Mammals 232 Marine Reptiles 236 Marine Fish 238 Marine Plants and Invertebrates 268 Seashells (Mollusks) 280 References and Additional Reading 292 Glossary 296 Photograph, Illustration, and Text Edit Credits 297 Index 300