Ontarians have not had a field guide to their reptiles and amphibians since Bob Johnson's Familiar Reptiles and Amphibians of Ontario (1989). Whereas Johnson's little book was illustrated with black-and-white sketches that may or may not have resembled the actual animal in question, this new pocket guide is a showcase for excellent herp photography, giving each species native to Ontario three full-colour photographs on the facing page of each written description. It's important to remember that this is a field guide, focused on the identification of wildlife in the field, and as such is not terribly in-depth -- after all, it's supposed to fit in your pocket! Each species is limited to a page of description and a page of photographs, a format which, for the most part, works rather well. Information is basic (identification, habitat, diet, reproduction), concise and, for the most part, accurate.
But brevity can be risky, and errors can sometimes creep in. ...
Common names definitely suffer from the focus on the species level, as "Eastern Racer" and "Eastern Ratsnake" are used, rather than the more commonly used subspecies names of "Blue Racer" and "Black Rat Snake". ...
In spite of the real space limitations, I would have liked to have seen descriptions of frog and toad calls and of amphibian eggs, which are dealt with only occasionally (larvae and tadpoles are well represented in the photographs).
Those wanting to learn more about our native herpetofauna would do well to consult the excellent Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region by James H. Harding (1997). But, since that book is too large to tuck into your bag or pocket, grab this little book instead if you're heading out into the field and need to know what it is you've just found.
