New Title

1) Falkingham, Peter L., Daniel Marty, and Annette Richter (editors). Dinosaur Tracks: The Next Steps. 2016. Indiana University Press. Hardbound: 413 pages. Price: $90.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The latest advances in dinosaur ichnology are showcased in this comprehensive and timely volume, in which leading researchers and research groups cover the most essential topics in the study of dinosaur tracks. Some assess and demonstrate state-of-the-art approaches and techniques, such as experimental ichnology, photogrammetry, biplanar X-rays, and a numerical scale for quantifying the quality of track preservation. The high diversity of these up-to-date studies underlines that dinosaur ichnological research is a vibrant field, that important discoveries are continuously made, and that new methods are being developed, applied, and refined. This indispensable volume unequivocally demonstrates that ichnology has an important contribution to make toward a better understanding of dinosaur paleobiology. Tracks and trackways are one of the best sources of evidence to understand and reconstruct the daily life of dinosaurs. They are windows on past lives, dynamic structures produced by living, breathing, moving animals now long extinct, and they are every bit as exciting and captivating as the skeletons of their makers.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with a serious interest in dinosaur ichnology.

New Titles

1) Chester, Sharon. The Arctic Guide: Wildlife of the Far North. 2016. Princeton University Press. Paperback: 542 pages. Price: $27.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The Arctic Guide presents the traveler and naturalist with a portable, authoritative guide to the flora and fauna of earth's northernmost region. Featuring superb color illustrations, this one-of-a-kind book covers the complete spectrum of wildlife--more than 800 species of plants, fishes, butterflies, birds, and mammals--that inhabit the Arctic's polar deserts, tundra, taiga, sea ice, and oceans. It can be used anywhere in the entire Holarctic region, including Norway's Svalbard archipelago, Siberia, the Russian Far East, islands of the Bering Sea, Alaska, the Canadian Arctic, and Greenland. Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, size, habitat, range, scientific name, and the unique characteristics that enable these organisms to survive in the extreme conditions of the Far North. A color distribution map accompanies each species account, and alternative names in German, French, Norwegian, Russian, Inuit, and Inupiaq are also provided.
RECOMMENDATION: A well illustrated (color photos) introduction to the natural history of the region.

2) Redman, Nigel, Terry Stevenson, and John Fanshawe. Birds of the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and Socotra. 2016. Princeton University Press. 2016. Paperback: 512 pages. Price: $45.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Birds of the Horn of Africa is widely regarded as the best field guide to the more than 1,000 species of resident, migrant, and vagrant birds found in northeast Africa--and it just got even better. Now fully revised and expanded, this comprehensive, easy-to-use guide has been updated with the latest information on distribution, identification, and taxonomy. New vagrants to the region have been added; color plates, illustrations, and distribution maps have been thoroughly updated and improved; and much more--making this still the must-have guide for birders, naturalists, and travelers in the region.
RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those birding the region!

New Titles

1) Hallett, Mark and Mathew J. Wedel. The Sauropod Dinosaurs: Life in the Age of Giants. 2016. Johns Hopkins University Press. Hardbound: 320 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: From The Land Before Time to Jurassic Park, images of fantastically large, long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs have captured our imaginations. These are the sauropods: centerpieces of museums and gentle giants of the distant past. Imagine what it must have been like to crest a hill and see in the valley below not just one sauropod, but an entire herd, feeding its way across the landscape.

     The most massive land animals ever to have lived, sauropods roamed widely across the continents through most of the "Age of Dinosaurs" from about 220 to 65 million years ago. They reached incredible sizes, giving rise to the question: Why were they so big? Early guesses suggested that they gained protection from predators by virtue of their size, which also allowed them to reach the tops of trees in order to eat leaves and conifer needles. More recent hypotheses hold that they needed a long and complicated digestive tract due to their consumption of low-nutrient food sources: size was an offshoot of that need. Whatever the explanation, there is little doubt that natural selection produced something extraordinary when the Sauropoda diversified into a wide variety of species. This book combines majestic artwork and the best of paleontological research to resurrect the lives of sauropods. The Sauropod Dinosaurs shows how these amazing creatures raised and defended their young, traveled in groups, and interacted with the rich diversity of Mesozoic plants and animals. Beautiful enough to sit on the coffee table, the book also serves as the best reference available on these bygone giants. Anyone with a passion for dinosaurs or prehistoric life will cherish this once-in-a-generation masterpiece.
     The book includes the following features:· Over 200 full-color illustrations· More than 100 color photographs from museums, field sites, and collections around the world· Thoughtfully placed drawings and charts· Clearly written text reviewed by major sauropod researchers· Descriptions of the latest sauropod concepts and discoveries· A field guide to major groups of sauropods· Detailed skeletal reconstructions and anatomical restorations· A comprehensive glossary.
RECOMMENDATION: A well illustrated overview on the subject.

2) Hayes, Louise and Philippe Henry. Alligators of Texas. 2016. Texas A&M University Press. Flexibound: 227 pages. Price: $29.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Found only in the United States, the American alligator ranges in Texas through 120 counties, from the Sabine River to the Rio Grande, across a swath of river drainages and coastal marshes that include both the backwater swamps of the Big Thicket and the urban bayous of greater Houston.
     From its beginning in a pile of eggs buried in a meticulously constructed nest to its possible end as an alligator burger or a pair of boots, an alligator’s habitat preferences sometimes coincide with the favorite haunts of boaters, hunters, and coastal residents.
     In Alligators of Texas, biologist Louise Hayes and photographer Philippe Henry bring readers up close to this cryptic reptile’s food choices, parenting skills, communication techniques, and responses to natural events such as freezes and hurricanes. They also relate some Texas “alligator tales”; discuss alligator farming, hunting, and live capturing; and examine how people can successfully co-exist with this predator. They end by telling readers where they can view alligators, both in the wild and in captivity.
     Although not as often, as easily, or perhaps as happily observed as white-tailed deer or armadillos, the American alligator is an iconic Texas animal, and knowing more about its life and habits can help Texans better understand its rightful place in the landscape.
RECOMMENDATION: A detailed treatment of the species.

New Title

1) Darin A. Croft and Velizar Simeonovski. Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys: The Fascinating Fossil Mammals of South America. 2016. Indiana University Press. Hardbound: 304 pages. Price: $50.00 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: South America is home to some of the most distinctive mammals on Earth―giant armadillos, tiny anteaters, the world’s largest rodent, and its smallest deer. But the continent once supported a variety of other equally intriguing mammals that have no close living relatives: armored mammals with tail clubs, saber-toothed marsupials, and even a swimming sloth. We know of the existence of these peculiar species thanks to South America’s rich fossil record, which provides many glimpses of prehistoric mammals and the ecosystems in which they lived. Organized as a "walk through time" and featuring species from 15 important fossil sites, this book is the most extensive and richly illustrated volume devoted exclusively to the Cenozoic mammals of South America. The text is supported by 75 life reconstructions of extinct species in their native habitats, as well as photographs of fossil specimens and the sites highlighted in the book. An annotated bibliography is included for those interested in delving into the scientific literature.
RECOMMENDATION: A well illustrated overview of these mammals.

New Title

1) Low, Tim. Where Song Began: Australia's Birds and How They Changed the World. 2016. Yale University Press. Hardbound: 406 pages. Price: $32.50 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Renowned for its gallery of unusual mammals, Australia is also a land of extraordinary birds. But unlike the mammals, the birds of Australia flew beyond the continent’s boundaries and around the globe many millions of years ago. This eye-opening book tells the dynamic but little-known story of how Australia provided the world with songbirds and parrots, among other bird groups, why Australian birds wield surprising ecological power, how Australia became a major evolutionary center, and why scientific biases have hindered recognition of these discoveries.
      From violent, swooping magpies to tool-making cockatoos, Australia’s birds are strikingly different from birds of other lands—often more intelligent and aggressive, often larger and longer-lived. Tim Low, a renowned biologist with a rare storytelling gift, here presents the amazing evolutionary history of Australia’s birds. The story of the birds, it turns out, is inseparable from the story of the continent itself and also the people who inhabit it.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in avian evolution and ecology.

New Title

1) Sterling, Kier B. and Marianne G. Ainley. The American Ornithologists' Union: The First Century, 1883-1983. 2016. Nuttall Ornithological Club. Hardbound: 405 pages. Price: $39.99 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: Memoirs of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Number 20. A history of the first 100 years of the A.O.U., highlighting the Union's activities and accomplishments, relating some to overall developments in the evolution of American natural science. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Published by the Club, With the support of the American Ornithologists' Union, 2016. Contents: Beginnings; By-Laws; The Auk, A Quarterly Journal of Ornithology; Classification and Checklists; Annual Meetings; Research and Awards in the AOU; Bird Protection; Special Projects; Patterns of Change in the AOU; Conclusions. Endnotes; Literature Cited. Appendices: Presidents, Vice Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers, Editors; AOU Founders, 1883, and highlights of their careers; Annual Meetings of the AOU 1883-1982; Brewster Medals 1929-1982; Coues Awards 1972-1982; The 'Ten Year Index' of The Auk; Pertinent data of the Ornithological Monographs; Index.
RECOMMENDATION: For those with an interest in ornithological history.

New Title

1) Schmidly, David J. and Robert D. Bradley. The Mammals of Texas 7th Edition. 2016. University of Texas Press. Paperback: 694 pages. Price: $39.95 U.S.
PUBLISHER'S SUMMARY: The Mammals of Texas has been the standard reference since the first edition was coauthored by William B. Davis and Walter P. Taylor in 1947. Revised several times over the succeeding decades, it remains the most authoritative source of information on the mammalian wildlife of Texas, with physical descriptions and life histories for 202 species, abundant photographs and drawings, and distribution maps.
     In this new edition, David J. Schmidly is joined by one of the most active researchers on Texas mammals, Robert D. Bradley, to provide a thorough update of the taxonomy, distribution, and natural history of all species of wild mammals that inhabit Texas today. Using the most recent advances in molecular biology and in wildlife ecology and management, the authors include the most current information about the scientific nomenclature, taxonomy, and identification of species, while also covering significant advances in natural history and conservation.
RECOMMENDATION: A MUST have for those with an interest in the mammals of Texas.