Signs of the Wild: A field guide to the spoor and signs of the mammals of Southern Africa

Clive Walker
Struik, Cape Town (first published 1981, 5th edition 1996)
Softcover, R129-95
ISBN 1 86825 896 3, 145mm x 210mm, 215 pages

This seminal guide to the "spoor" (Afrikaans for track) of Southern African mammals was first published in 1981 and quickly changed the way casual outdoor enthusiasts perceived the world around them. Its popularity has grown to the extent that it has been revised five times and has been reprinted many more. It now features even more photos (in colour and black and white) of the different mammal species, their tracks, dung and signs. What hasn't changed, however, is the somewhat stylised representation of the spoor or footprint of the animals.

Out-dated: The truth of the matter is that despite the revisions and additions - and in spite of the book's trailblazing history - it is now largely outdated and out-competed. I feel traitorous as I write that, the first edition having had a huge impact on my young life, but it is unavoidable in the face of the identically-priced Stuart guide and the even more affordable, handy and accurate Liebenberg book (both the Stuart and Liebenberg books are reviewed next). It is undoubtedly still popular and useful though and one of its major strengths is the photographic representation of dung coupled with a written description of the faeces' components and characteristics. Photographs of Hedgehog, Tree Squirrel and Aardvark dung are notable inclusions. Another old strength that has been bolstered here by corrections and additions is the inclusion of the animal names in local languages - this is acknowledged by other authors (who incidentally don't include these names.)

Not enough: A new addition is the skull diagrams of the various predator species from an earlier publication by Walker and others. There are also new photographs of spoor under natural conditions (mostly in colour), an updated rendering of a Black Rhino track (this is an improvement on the first edition but still, as with the accompanying photos, fails to distinctly clarify the morphological difference between this and a white rhino track) and a spoor comparison page where all similar looking tracks can be perused and compared for easier identification. The accuracy of the spoor diagrams is not on the level of Liebenberg, however, and ultimately this is the book's downfall.

This does not preclude the book from selling, or from being useful - it will sell and is useful - the fact remains however that Walker's pioneering publication in 1981 has been overtaken and improved upon.

Posted: Mammals by CC Africa, Date: 22 November 2006