Handbook of the Mammals of the World

Handbook of the Mammals of the World
Name	Handbook of the Mammals of the World
Subject	Zoology
Pub date	2009–2019
Media type	Print

Handbook of the Mammals of the World is a multi-volume reference series that surveys extant mammalian diversity with taxonomic accounts, illustrations, and distributional data. The project intersected institutions and figures from global natural history, involving museums, conservation organizations, and publishers based in Barcelona, London, and Washington, D.C., and reached audiences among researchers and policy-makers in venues such as the Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Royal Society, World Wide Fund for Nature, and United Nations forums.

Overview

The series presents comprehensive species treatments across orders such as Primates, Carnivora, Cetacea, Chiroptera, and Rodentia, integrating taxonomic revisions influenced by authorities associated with the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and regional bodies like the European Commission and the African Union. It synthesizes data from institutional collections at the American Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum, Vienna, Field Museum of Natural History, and regional repositories in Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and New Delhi, and incorporates assessments aligned with assessments by the IUCN Red List and conservation priorities set by organizations such as BirdLife International and Conservation International.

Publication History and Editions

Initial volumes were issued between 2009 and 2019 under a publishing program linked to firms in Barcelona and London and distributed through networks touching the Library of Congress, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the National Diet Library. Editions engaged publishers, printers, and booksellers who collaborate with institutions like the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, British Library, Harvard University Press consortium, and specialist distributors active in Madrid, Paris, New York City, and Geneva. Subsequent printings and special editions intersected with cataloging systems used by the International Standard Serial Number registry and bibliographic services at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. The timeline of release paralleled major biodiversity policy events including outcomes from meetings at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Content and Structure

Each volume arranges treatment by taxonomic order and family, providing species accounts that reference type specimens, holotypes deposited in institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, while integrating distribution maps drawing on datasets curated by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Map of Life, and regional atlases hosted by the European Environment Agency. Plates and illustrations involved artists whose work is comparable in scope to commissions made for the Encyclopaedia Britannica and compendia assembled for the Handbook of the Birds of the World, and entries discuss conservation status using categories from the IUCN Red List and legal frameworks like CITES appendices. Systematic sections cite molecular studies appearing in journals such as Nature, Science, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reflecting phylogenetic hypotheses debated at symposia sponsored by the Linnean Society and presented at meetings of the Society for Conservation Biology and the American Society of Mammalogists.

Contributors and Editorial Team

The series assembled an international editorial board of taxonomists, illustrators, and curators affiliated with entities including the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, University of São Paulo, University of Cape Town, Australian National University, and the Max Planck Society. Lead editors coordinated peer contributions from specialists tied to museums such as the American Museum of Natural History and universities participating in collaborative networks funded by agencies like the European Research Council, National Science Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust. Illustrators and cartographers collaborated with staff from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and commercial studios that have also produced material for the BBC and major scientific publishers. Editorial decisions referenced taxonomic standards promulgated by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature and data practices promoted by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the Catalogue of Life.

Reception and Impact

The series was reviewed in outlets such as the New York Times, The Guardian, Nature, and specialist periodicals including Journal of Mammalogy and Zootaxa, and was cited in policy documents from the IUCN, the European Commission, and national biodiversity strategies in countries like Brazil, South Africa, and India. Libraries such as the Library of Congress, British Library, and university consortia acquired sets for reference and teaching in departments at institutions including Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Australian National University. The work influenced field guides produced by publishers collaborating with organizations like Conservation International and informed conservation planning in programs run by the World Wildlife Fund and regional projects backed by the Global Environment Facility.

Companion Works and Related Projects

Associated projects and complementary titles include global compendia like the Handbook of the Birds of the World, thematic atlases issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and online platforms such as the Encyclopedia of Life, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and Map of Life. Research programs funded by the European Research Council, National Science Foundation, and philanthropic foundations including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Mava Foundation generated primary data subsequently incorporated into the series, while parallel efforts by museums and societies—for example, the American Museum of Natural History digital initiatives and the Royal Society publishing programs—extended accessibility through exhibitions, symposia, and educational outreach.

Category:Mammalogy Category:Reference works