The Handbook of New Zealand Mammals

The Handbook of New Zealand Mammals is the only definitive reference on all the land-breeding mammals recorded in the New Zealand region, including the New Zealand sector of Antarctica. It lists 65 species, featuring both native and exotic, wild and feral, living and extinct, residents, vagrants, and failed introductions. The book describes their history, biology, and ecology, compiling comprehensive and detailed information sourced from widely scattered or previously unpublished references.

The description of each species is arranged under standardised headings for easy reference. Since the only native land-breeding mammals in New Zealand are bats and seals, the majority of the modern mammal fauna comprises introduced species. Their arrival has had profound effects both for themselves and for the native fauna and flora. The book details changes in numbers and distribution for the native species and summarises changes in habitat, diet, numbers, size compared with their ancestral stocks, and some of the challenges they pose to resource managers.

In this third edition, the text and references have been completely updated and reorganised into Family chapters. The colour section includes 14 pages of artwork depicting all the species described and their main variations, as well as two pages of maps.