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Great Wildlife of the Great Plains

Paul A. Johnsgard

Illustrated by the author

March 2003
328 pages, 68 line drawings, 5 maps, 6 x 9
Cloth ISBN 978-0-7006-1224-6, $29.95 (t)

book cover imageThundering herds of bison. Burrowing prairie dogs. Soaring golden eagles. These are among the wildlife who will always be linked with the Great Plains, and many can still be seen in their natural habitats. Now there is a single-volume resource that provides an instructive and entertaining commentary on their lives.

Paul Johnsgard is a leading authority on the ecology of the Great Plains and author of more than forty books in natural history. With Great Wildlife of the Great Plains, he has written the first overview of the region’s native fauna, a book geared to amateur naturalists and general readers who live in or visit America’s vast central expanses.

Choosing from the nearly 600 terrestrial vertebrates found on the Great Plains, Johnsgard focuses on the ecology, behavior, and life histories of 121 notable species that people are most likely to encounter when traveling in the region. He has selected characteristic breeding birds, typical mammals, and conspicuous amphibians and reptiles—as well as additional species of conservation importance, animals of charismatic interest, and selected transients.

The book is organized around ten distinct biotic communities, from the different varieties of native prairies to woodlands and wetlands, so that human visitors to those habitats can be on the watch for wildlife most often encountered there. Here are box turtles in the Sandhills grasslands and roadrunners in the shrubsteppes—and coyotes nearly everywhere—and here is Paul Johnsgard to tell us how they go about their lives. Johnsgard’s pictorial prose calls to the reader’s attention all of the subtleties of geography and life forms associated with these varied ecosystems. More than seventy maps and illustrations enhance his text.

Whether commenting on the feeding and nesting habits of the cuckoo, philosophizing on the aromatic qualities of skunks from a closer range than most of us would dare, or simply celebrating the zigzag hop of the jumping mouse, Johnsgard brings to the page the sharp eye of one who has studied these animals for years and is familiar with their every action. Great Wildlife of the Great Plains is a book with which to travel and from which to learn—a book that speaks to the inner naturalist in every citizen of the Plains.

“Johnsgard writes of the birds, mammals, and herptiles of the Great Plains with authority, affection, and concern for their welfare. The writing is elegant and evocative and, together with his drawings, conveys the diversity of wildlife in the region with a wonderful vividness.”--David Wishart, editor of the forthcoming Encyclopedia of the Great Plains

“Johnsgard’s wildlife vignettes highlight the beauty, complexity, and drama of animal behavior in the Great Plains, and his awe and reverence for the region’s subtle grandeur are evident in every chapter. . . . Must reading for students of grassland ecology and for anyone who desires to understand the natural heritage of the plains.”--Craig C. Freeman, coauthor of Roadside Wildflowers of the Southern Great Plains

PAUL A. JOHNSGARD is Foundation Professor of Biology at the University of Nebraska. Among his more than forty published books are such encyclopedic works as Hummingbirds of North America and regional guides including Prairie Birds: Fragile Splendor in the Great Plains and This Fragile Land: A Natural History of the Nebraska Sandhills.