Book Reviews

A recent jaunt around Lake Arcadia where I saw numerous animal tracks and scat samples made me wish I had brought along my copy of Mammal Tracks & Sign by Mark Elbroch. At almost 800 (!!) pages, this extensive field guide is one to carry in a backpack rather than a pocket.  The book contains over 1000 color photos as well as range maps and line drawings.  Included are chapters detailing the following topics:

• Tracks and trails with actual size tracks
• Runs, ridges, tunnels, and eskers
• Beds, lays, wallows, baths, nests, burrows, dens, and cavities
• Scat, urine, and other secretions  (Be the first in your neighborhood to have photos of animal poop!)
• Sign on vegetation and fungi
• Other signs of feeding
• Mammal remains

In the introduction to the book, the author lays the foundation for studying clues that mammals leave us:

“Tracking provides such amazing opportunities to learn and interact with our homes, our environments, and our neighbors the wild  creatures. Tracks and signs bring woodlands, deserts, and suburbs to life, revealing the presence of the dynamic lives that perpetually surround us.”

Mammal Tracks & Sign is extremely useful, whether you are exploring wide open spaces or a suburban yard, and would be a practical addition to your personal library.