An Illustrated Guide to Endangered or Threatened Species in Kansas - (Kansas Nature Guides) (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Ranging from the unfamiliar to the famous--from the inconspicuous, plankton-sucking Elktoe Mussel to the majestic, soaring Bald Eagle--endangered or threatened plants and animals of Kansas continue to play a vital, although diminished, role in the state's ecology.

Providing, for the first time, easily accessible information for the professional naturalist and amateur nature lover alike, this guide highlights the habits and habitats of sixty plants and animals currently listed as endangered or threatened in Kansas and protected by state or federal law. The authors illuminate not only the common bond of these species--their precarious status--but also their widely varying routines, idiosyncrasies, and circumstances. All known Lake Scott Riffle Beetles in the world, they show, spend their lives in one spring area of Western Kansas while the nomadic Whooping Cranes alight only a night or two in the state's central and eastern swamplands during migration.

For each species--three plants, three mammals, nine birds, eight reptiles, ten amphibians, fourteen fishes, and thirteen invertebrates--the guide features a full-color photograph, standard common and current scientific name, range map, threatened or endangered species status, and information on appearance, size, breeding, habits, surroundings, food preference, and natural history. The authors also list possible causes of species reduction, from loss of habitat through land use change, water diversion, and pollution, to hunting and fishing practices and natural selection.

Richly illustrated and informative, this unique guide will be indispensable to anyone wanting to preserve the state's irreplaceable biological diversity.

From the Back Cover

Endangered and threatened plants and animals often are warning signs that the natural environment is being altered by our cultural environment. The two environments obviously cannot be combined, but they sometimes can thrive side by side with the care and commitment on our part.

Review Quotes

"The greatest treasures on earth are valued for their rarity. The authors of this book present some of Kansas's most treasured wildlife jewels."--Bob Gress, Director of Wichita Wild and coauthor of Kansas Wildlife

"The authors provide a timely emphasis that 'endangered and threatened plants and animals are not roadblocks. They exist as a symptom of our deteriorating natural environment, ' an environment upon which we depend for our lives and livelihoods."--John L. Zimmerman, author of Cheyenne Bottoms: Wetland in Jeopardy

"This unique and important guide focuses not only on threatened and endangered species, but also on the preservation of the habitats that sustain them. It will be of great benefit to those people in industry and agriculture whose business requires them to alter the natural environment but who wish to protect and preserve its treasures. The general public will benefit from its insights as well."--George Potts, coauthor of Watching Kansas Wildlife: A Guide to 101 Sites