Photos Needed For USA Mammal Guide

Dear All

I am wrapping up a book project about mammals of California but need a few final pictures. Due out in spring of 2019, this book part of a series, hence its odd title: “A Californian’s Guide to the Mammals Among Us.” What it aims to do is introduce regular folks to the pleasures of mammal spotting, using the 50 “observable” (and interesting) species…gray fox, raccoon, k-rat, mule deer, and so on. It has jazzy writing and sharp photos and it should be a very attractive product once the design team gets done with it. I do though need help with the final few species. That list follows below.

The pictures can have been taken anywhere, so long as the shot looks like California in some vague, plausible way. High resolution of course — contact me if you don’t know about file sizes.

This will be released via Heyday Books, a liberal, non-profit outfit in Berkeley. They do good work but it’s all for love, not money. For these images, sorry, but the pay is just fame and glory, plus pictures credits and a free copy of the book. I will mention though that Jon Hall and others who post via this forum have already agreed to be in the book, so you will be in good company.

Remaining species =

house mouse (Mus musculus)

Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)

black rat (R rattus)

feral pig (Sus scrofa), including damage where they’ve been feeding / mucking about

kit fox (Vulpes macrotis)

and any 5-star shots of gray whale, humpback whale, or blue whale…big displays / super-scooper feeding lunges. Not just the regular surface stuff, but the really jaw-dropping poses that fire up the imagination. (Surprising how dull most dorsal fins look, even when attached to a 40-foot whale.)

Contact me off-post if you can help out. Thank you in advance.

Charles Hood / hoodcw@gmail.com