[Pet Health Admin]

This is the first and only color field guide to the frogs, toads, salamanders,snakes and lizards that are found on the Baja peninsula and the islands in the Sea of Cortez and off the outer coast of Bja California. The narrative for each species includes: identification,range and habitat, and natural history. each species is illustrated with at least one color photo.
Customer Review: What happened?
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REVIEW I ALREADY WROTE?
Customer Review: Pictures are great but Information lacking
I disagree with the above rating as that of a consumer. I do not believe Midwest Book Review can be considered a consumer. I am a consumer and I have this book. Although some of the pics are the work of one of the best photogs in herp photography (i.e., John Tashjian), many of the other, unattributed photos could have been sharper. For some species of lizards, both dorsal and ventral views were shown. I feel that many more species should have had ventral views and comparisons between male and female animals. This is a picture book, make no mistake. If you are looking for natural history information or range maps, this may not be the book for you. But, since it is the only recent book out with color pictures, it can be a valuable addition to a herp library. Another slight criticism is the observation that no subspecific designations are used. The way things change in Baja, that may be a good idea, but then, down there, species also change fairly frequently. I do not think it would have hurt to put in presently recognized subspecies. For instance, there are three subspecies of zebratail lizards (genus Callisaurus) in Baja. Two are very similar to each other but the third, Callisaurus d. crinitus of the Vizcaýno Peninsula, has some very unique adaptations and should have been noted and depicted. There should have at least been a table of former names with the relationship to the name used in this book. Many of the names used are proposed names and have not yet been accepted, Chances are the names will be approved but still, the former names are quite familiar while the new ones are going to take some getting used to. The Baja California Peninsula is a land of mystery and new discoveries. This book fills a void that has existed for years. I hope that more informational books are forthcoming in the near future.


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