Sociable omnivorous feeders

"Collins Field Guide: Mammals of Africa including Madagascar" is a book by Theodor Haltenorth and Helmut Diller, translated by Robert W Hayman. The German original, "Säugetiere Afrikas und Madagaskars", was published in 1977. The English edition is from 1980. My copy is a reprint from 1992. 

The book comes across as a hybrid between a field guide in the proper sense and a reference work, with the two German authors (with Teutonic efficiency) cramming as much information as possible into a small space as possible. The species presentations are divided into Identification, Distribution, Habitat, and Reproduction. The Habitat section has information on Daily Rhythm, Toilet, Voice, Sociability, Enemies, and Food. Vernacular names in German and various Africa-related languages are given. All subspecies are described. The book also contains a long introductory chapter on African geology and mammal fossil history. The range maps are somewhat confusing, and I was bewildered even by the color plates. Many of these mammals really do look pretty similar to each other! 

Did you know that the Sassaby (alias Korrigum, Tiang, Topi, Hirola or Hunter´s Antelope) has 9 subspecies, respond to alarm calls from Guinea Fowls, often associates with zebras and ostriches, and marks territory by standing conspicuously on termite hills? I admit I had no idea. I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a Sassaby and, say, a Senegal hartebeest. 

All bat species have been excluded from this volume. Likewise with most rodents and insectivores (they are too small and too many). Exceptions to the rule are the elephant shrews and otter shrews (which are unique to Africa) and certain highly conspicuous forms such as the Giant Gambian Rat or Beecroft´s Flying Squirrel. 

The translator didn´t always see eye-to-eye with the original authors concerning taxonomy. No surprise there - that´s always a tricky subject! Hayman doesn´t believe in the existence of the Pygmy Elephant, and regards the Common Chimpanzee as monotypic. The original writer treats the Tschego as a subspecies. (It seems the current Wikipedia consensus is that the chimp really does have several distinct subspecies.) Weirdly, the field guide also include the Quagga and the Barbary Lion, both of which are extinct! In case they suddenly return from the dead? 

Not sure how good this field guide was from the backseat of a land rover, or whether you could identify herds of majestic antelopes outside a Torquay window, but since I review everything, I obviously had to put my teeth into this one, too...