IUCN publications and newsletters
An excellent place to find information about mammals is through the newsletters or publications of the various IUCN Species Specialist Groups.
The Specialist Groups are typically comprised of a wide variety of experts on that particular group of organisms whose members help the IUCN provide updated Red Data listing information. Some groups are highly specialized while others cover a diverse array of species. For instance, the Asian elephant SG covers only a single species, while the Bat SG and Rodent SGs each cover a whole order. Many of the groups have their own websites, and, even better, most put out regular newsletters or journals. The majority of these provide easy-to-read articles about interesting topics such as the results of camera trap or other surveys, species range extensions, conservation issues etc. Basically, the sort of information most mammal enthusiasts would be interested in reading. The regularity with which they publish these newsletters varies considerably, but most publish something annually. Almost all allow the articles to be downloaded, though in some cases you can only download papers individually, and not the entire newsletter. Many sites also have their old journals or publications online. The amount of information available on each site varies considerably. The Primate SG for instance, has multiple journals for different parts of the world, as well as information on available books, and it even has a section about primate-watching. The only Specialist Group that doesn’t post its newsletters online is the Cat SG, which is a pity as their newsletter is normally very interesting, but they do provide ‘special issues’ for download, and you can purchase a CD of previous copies.
Below we’ve listed all of the mammal Specialist Groups that have newsletter, journal or publications, that we can find information for. If there are some that we’ve missed, please let us know. If the site doesn’t have links to old copies, you can probably get hold of them by writing to the editor. They’re usually very happy to help people interested in their species of interest. Even if the site doesn’t have a newsletter or journal, it might provide range and status information for that species, so it’s always worth having a look.
Mammalwatchers frequently ask where they might post information such as species range extensions or interesting behaviours that they have recorded. If you don’t want to go the full publishing route, then a note or article in one of the Specialist Group newsletters can be a good way of getting the information out there. Most SG newsletter editors are quite desperate to get hold of interesting content, and many will accept a well-written article regardless of whether it derives from a professional in the field or from an amateur.
IUCN mammal specialist groups
Click on group name to open link.
| IUCN specialist Group | Newsletter or Journal | Download old copies |
|---|---|---|
| Afrotheria | Yes | Yes |
| African Elephant | Yes | Yes |
| African Rhino | Yes | Yes |
| Asian Rhino | Yes | Yes |
| Anteater, Sloth and Armadillo | Yes | No |
| Antelope | Yes | No |
| Asian Elephant | Yes | Yes |
| Asian Wild Cattle | Yes | Yes |
| Bat | Yes | Yes |
| Bear | No | |
| Canid | Yes | Yes |
| Caprinae | Yes | Yes |
| Cat | * | |
| Deer | Yes | Yes |
| Equid | No | |
| Giraffe and Okapi | No | |
| Wild pig, peccary and hippo | Yes | Yes |
| Otter | Yes | Yes |
| Pangolin | No | |
| Primates | Yes | Yes |
| Sirenia | Yes | Yes |
| Small Carnivore | Yes | Yes |
| Small Mammal | No | |
| South American Camelid | Yes (Spanish) | Yes |
| Tapir | Yes | Yes |