Press

ALBANY, N.Y. - Dr. Roland Kays, curator of mammals at the New York State Museum, will
give a talk and sign copies of his new field guide, "Mammals of North America,'' at 7 p.m. December 11 in the Museum Theater.

Kays' lecture, "Am I Being Menaced by a Wolf or a Weimaraner: The Importance of Accurate Mammal Identification," will focus on why it is important to identify mammals in your surroundings and how to do so. He will sign books, which will be available for sale at the lecture site on December 11 and, thereafter, in the museum shop.

The 240-page guidebook, published by the Princeton University Press, is the first
book of its kind to cover all 442 mammal species north of Mexico. It provides more than 1,000
Detailed color illustrations of the species and sub-species and, on facing pages, concise descriptions of the physical characteristics, behaviors and habitats.

The guide, co-written by Don E. Wilson, of the Smithsonian Institution's National
Museum of Natural History, is the first illustrated field guide on mammals since 1964.

"I hope it's used by everybody -- kids who want to look at the pretty pictures, backyard naturalists and hunters, mammalogy students doing research, and professionals trying to tell them apart for a living.'' said Kays, who has been at the museum for three years.

An Albany resident, Kays said he got the idea for an updated mammal book after noticing the popularity of bird identification books. It is far easier to spot birds than most mammals, but Kays said the guide is useful to day hikers who wish to identify common wildlife and learn which species can be found in a particular region. Also, mammal signs are often more easily spotted than the animals themselves. For that reason the authors have included extensive illustrations of tracks and scat.
North America's mammal fauna is one of the best documented in the world. Kays and
Wilson used top peer-reviewed literature to write the book. They also recruited six illustrators,
whose work shows fine distinctions between species. The book is unique in its level of detail. There are 20 pages of descriptions and illustrations devoted to bats and 22 different varieties of chipmunks are delineated. Illustrations show subtle differences so users can identify different species of rabbits, deer, mice and other mammals that look similar.

The text and range maps refer to the illustrations on the facing pages, so that readers are not forced to search for pictures in a separate section.

Over time, species divide, die out or spread into new habitats. "Mammals of North America,'' reflects that moose have returned to the Adirondacks. It also lists so-called exotic species introduced to North American that are roaming wild but can be easily confused with native wildlife. These include the European hare that lives in the Hudson Valley, the black-tailed jackrabbit that escaped around Kennedy International Airport, and the common house mouse that lives in residential basements.

Kays received his undergraduate degree in biology at Cornell University before earning his doctorate in zoology at the University of Tennessee studying rain forest carnivores in Panama. He did post-doctoral research at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, specializing in the study of the lions of Tsavo, Kenya.

As curator of mammals at the New York State Museum, Kays studies the distribution of carnivores in Albany's Pine Bush and in the Adirondacks. His research looks at how disturbances, such as development, agriculture and hunting, affect survival.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Department of
Education, the University of the State of New York and the Office of Cultural Education.
Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free.