09 July,2014 08:30 AM IST | | Dhara Vora
Conservationist Vivek Menon’s new title, Indian Mammals: A Field Guide will be a handy reference for wildlife enthusiasts -- amateur and professional -- to understand and appreciate India’s rich, diverse fauna
From cute little pikas to majestic tigers, wildlife conservationist Vivek Menon's new book, Indian Mammals, A Field Guide is all you need to know about almost all the mammals found in the country.
If you are a wildlife enthusiast, the book will be a boon as it includes descriptions of all Indian mammals including their behaviour, along with coloured photographs, and even tells you of the regions in the country where they can be spotted.
The book is divided according into sections detailing the different order of mammals - primates, elephants, odd-toed ungulates, even-toed ungulates, carnivores, lagomorphs, pholidotes, tree shrews, insectivores, hedgehogs, rodents, bats, cetaceans and sirenians. Some of the other notes in the book include interpreting tracks and scats, their eating patterns and the way they move.
An important aspect of the book are Menon's notes on the threats to the mammals and the nature of conservation methods. A must-pick reference guide.
Swamp Deer or Barasingha: The male deers of this species boast of 5/6-tined antlers and can grow up to 10 to 12 tines. The full antler development takes up to three years.
Tibetan Wild Ass comes under the order of ungulates, which means a hoofed mammal. Ungulates are grouped as Artiodactyl and Perissodactyl depending on whether they are even-toed or odd-toed.
Hares, rabbits and Pikas are medium-sized herbivores forming the order Lagomorpha
Pangolins come under the category of pholidotes and are armour-plated insectivores
There are four species of Giant squirrels in South and South-east Asia of which three are found in India. They are the largest squirrels in the world.
