The Arctic Guide presents the traveler and naturalist with an authoritative, portable guide to the flora and fauna of Earth's northernmost region. Featuring superb color illustrations, this one-of-a-kind book covers the complete spectrum of wildlife – more than 800 species of plants, butterflies, fishes, birds, and mammals – that inhabit the Arctic's polar deserts, tundra, taiga, sea ice, and oceans. It can be used anywhere in the entire Holarctic region, including areas as diverse as the High Arctic islands of Canada, Norway's Svalbard Archipelago, Siberia, the Russian Far East, and Alaska and the islands of the Bering Sea.
Detailed species accounts describe key identification features, size, habitat, range, scientific name, and unique characteristics that enable these organisms to survive in the extreme conditions of the Far North. A colour distribution map accompanies each species account, and alternative names in German, French, Norwegian, Russian, and Inuit dialects are also provided.
Acknowledgments 2
About This Book 3
Geographic Coordinates 4
Glossary 5
Arktos 10
Defining the Arctic 11
Map of the Arctic 12
Mammals 25
Birds 127
Fishes 373
Lizards and Frogs 399
Flies, Bees, and Butterflies 401
Flora 425
Bibliography 535
Indexes 537
Sharon Chester is a naturalist, wildlife photographer, illustrator, and author of several natural history guides, including A Wildlife Guide to Chile. She splits her time between San Mateo, California, and her home in Fulton, Illinois, near the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
"I can think of no other book that covers the same territory so completely."
– George L. Armistead, coauthor of Better Birding
"This book is an astonishing achievement. It is the perfect one-stop field guide for anyone visiting the Arctic, whether in the Old World or the New World."
– Nigel Redman, coauthor of Birds of the Horn of Africa