Wilson and Reeder's Mammal Species of the World is the classic reference book on the taxonomic classification and distribution of the 5416 species of mammals that have been identified today. The third edition includes detailed information on nomenclature and, for the first time, common names. Each concise entry covers type locality, distribution, synonyms, and major reference sources. The systematic arrangement of information indicates evolutionary relationships at both the ordinal and the family level. In addition to currently recognized species, this edition contains 37,378 synonyms and full references to 9373 scientific publications. This indispensable reference work belongs in public and academic libraries throughout the world and on the shelf of every biologist who works with mammals.
Don E. Wilson is the curator of mammals and a senior scientist at the Smithsonian Institution. DeeAnn M. Reeder is an assistant professor of biology at Bucknell University.
"A uniquely valuable compendium of taxonomic and distributional data on the world's living and historically extinct mammalian species. Contributors and editors alike deserve the thanks of all mammalogists for helping to forge the nomenclatural mesh that holds our science together."
– Journal of Mammalogy
"To refer to this work as a checklist undervalues it and does not give sufficient credit to the authors and editors for their meticulous efforts in its production. A valuable reference work and a vital tool, particularly for researchers."
– Journal of Natural History
"By far the most convenient source for finding the correct scientific name of any mammal and should be on the reference shelf of libraries striving to have useful science sections."
– Science Books and Films
"The editors and authors are to be congratulated for undertaking such an outstanding and authoritative work, and it should serve as a standard reference for mammalian species taxonomy for many years to come."
– Journal of Mammalian Evolution
"A landmark reference. By far the most authoritative and extensive compilation of the world's mammal species."
– Ronald Nowak, author, Walker's Mammals of the World, 4th, 5th, and 6th editions