ENDANGERED MAMMALS OF NORTH AMERICA

Nine mammals are described in detail in this rather dry entry in the Scientific American Sourcebook series that will be useful for assignments. Included are: Caribbean manatee, bowhead whale, Mount Graham red squirrel, long-nosed bat, gray and red wolf, black-footed ferret, and Florida panther. Sherrow (Watson & Crick, p. 862) discusses each one's appearance, lifestyle, range, habitat, reasons for endangered status, and the efforts to prevent its extinction. Both the introduction and the conclusion are weak, and, with nearly 1,000 animals on the endangered species list, coverage of only nine is a less than comprehensive representation. Sherrow clearly presents the clash of ideas and interests that make saving such species difficult; her discussions point out some of the inconsistencies of US policy. The title includes full-color photos, color maps of species ranges, and brief biographical sketches of naturalists. (further reading, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 12-14)