Wildlife of the Concho Valley (W. L. Moody Jr. Natural History Series)

The Concho Valley, named from the abundant mussel shells found in its principal river by seventeenth-century Spanish explorers, occupies a transitional position between the Chihuahuan Desert to the west and the Balcones Canyonlands to the east. As veteran field biologist and educator Terry C. Maxwell notes, the region has experienced wide-ranging changes in the makeup of its vertebrate populations, especially in the decades since farming and ranching began here in earnest, in the mid- to late 1800s. In Wildlife of the Concho Valley, Maxwell provides the first comprehensive summary of the animal life in this under covered region of the state, which also happens to be his home territory. Uniquely qualified after a lifetime of study and field work, Maxwell places the region in its biogeographic context and then charts the history of vertebrate investigation there from the seventeenth century to the present. Following this ecological and historical perspective are accounts of all the fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals reliably known by zoologists and naturalists to have occurred in the Concho Valley over the past 150 years. The species accounts include Latin and English names; distribution and abundance status; remarks, where the author elaborates on habitat preference, behaviour, and other aspects of natural history; specimens reported; and subspecies and synonyms. This important work of traditional natural history is liberally illustrated with Maxwell’s own drawings, photographs, and maps. An invaluable reference, Wildlife of the Concho Valley is a major contribution from one of the state’s most respected biologists and teachers.