Atlas des Amphibiens et Reptiles de Martinique

Amphibians and reptiles of the Caribbean islands make up one of the most endangered wildlife groups in the world. Our awareness of the fragility of these species—often located on a single island—is very recent, and as such, we must welcome the emergence of projects dedicated to the conservation of this fauna.

When these initiatives are supported by communities and elected officials, as on Martinique, they offer a glimmer of hope for the future of these exciting animals. This French-language book will be a cornerstone of those conservation initiatives. It provides a valuable inventory of available knowledge on the biology, ecology, and distribution of species present on Martinique. It also offers tools, such as an illustrated determination key and QR codes links, to reliably identify by sight and by ear Martinique’s twenty-two terrestrial species of amphibians and reptiles (including eleven native species and eleven introduced species) and five species of sea turtles. Drawing on data from a long-term field project, this heavily illustrated atlas utilizes some 2,000 geographically positioned data (GPS coordinates for each observation) to reliably demonstrate the geographic distribution of native and introduced species, some now considered invasive. It also contains information on systematics and contributes to our understanding of overall ecology by illustrating altitudinal distribution, activity rhythms, diet, predation, and causes of mortality.