This guide has been specially created to help those dissecting owl pellets to identify and submit records of small mammals present in the pellets to the Mammal Society, in order to help biological recording in the UK. This A4-sized, spiralbound book has thick laminated pages designed to be useful in a workshop or laboratory environment. It is richly illustrated with high-quality macro images and is suitable for serious mammalogists seeking to identify remains down to species level, while also being an accessible, practical and intuitive handbook for the amateur naturalist.
Introduction / 4
Rodents / 6
Introduction to Voles / 7
Labelleled Field Vole Skull & Jawbone / 8
Field Vole / 9
Bank Vole / 10
Water Vole / 11
Common Vole / 12
Comparing Voles' Upper Cheek Teeth / 13
Comparing Voles' Root Holes in Skull / 14
Introduction to Mice & Rats / 15
Labelled Wood Mouse Skull & Jawbone / 16
Wood Mouse / 17
Yellow-necked Mouse / 18
House Mouse / 19
Harvest Mouse / 20
Brown Rat / 21
Comparing Rodents' Jawbones & Tooth Root Holes / 22
Insectivores / 23
Introduction to Shrews / 24
Labelled Shrew Skull & Jawbone / 26
Common Shrew / 27
Pygmy Shrew / 28
Water Shrew / 29
Lesser White-toothed Shrew / 30
Greater White-toothed Shrew / 31
Photos of Greater White-toothed Shrew / 32
Comparing Shrews' Skulls & Jawbones / 33
Comparing Shrews' Lower Incisors / 34
Comparing Shrews' Upper Incisors & Unicuspids / 35
Other Small Mammal Bones in Barn Owl Pellets / 36
Other Mammals: Mole, Bats, Hazel Dormouse / 37
Other Mammals: Rabbit & Weasel / 38
Birds / 39
Frogs, Toads & Fish / 40
Invertebrates / 41
Glossary / 42
Bibliography / 43
Susanna J. Ramsey is the founder of The Nature Collection, a collection of inspirational resources focused on British wildlife intended to encourage people of all ages to tune into the natural world around them. Based near Richmond Park in London, Susanna has channelled her own fascination with the natural world into books and educational resources that reveal hidden details in the landscape. Susanna is a skilled macro photographer and took most of the images in this visual guide through her microscope.
Derek Crawley is Vice Chair of the Mammal Society, founding chair of the Staffordshire Mammal Group, and a tireless supporter of grassroots mammal recording. He is the lead author of the Atlas of the Mammals of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and a Mammal Verifier for iRecord.