Amphibians and reptiles (herpetofauna) are a significant but much-neglected component of the natural economy of the province of Alberta. This second edition, which continues as both a field guide and a natural history, builds on the strengths of the first, with a richly illustrated text and photographs of all species taken by renowned wildlife photographer Wayne Lynch.

The first edition of The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alberta received an award from the Book Publishers Association of Alberta and was also recognized by the Emerald Awards for Environmental Excellence. This second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated. Nomenclature has been changed to reflect current thinking in the field. New photographs have been added, and maps and illustrations have been updated.

Anthony P. Russell is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary.

A.P. Russell's profile page

Aaron M. Bauer is a professor in the Department of Biology at Villanova University, Pennsylvania.

Aaron M. Bauer's profile page

Wildlife photographer and science writer Dr. Wayne Lynch has dedicated almost three decades to learning everything he can about these powerful mammals. In his quest for bears, he has crawled inside the winter dens of black bears and polar bears, held squirming grizzly cubs in his arms, sailed along the coastal rainforests of British Columbia, hiked the cloud forests of the Andes Mountains in South America and ridden elephants through the jungles of Nepal and India.

In Bears, Bears, Bears for Kids, his engaging guide to the world's eight bear species, Lynch introduces us to the strange and wonderful natural histories of these magnificent wild animals.

For more than 40 years, Dr. Wayne Lynch has been writing about and photographing the wildlands of the world from the stark beauty of the Arctic and Antarctic to the lush rainforests of the tropics. Today, he is one of Canada's best-known and most widely published nature writers and wildlife photographers. His photo credits include hundreds of magazine covers, thousands of calendar shots, and tens of thousands of images published in over 80 countries. He is also the author/photographer of more than 45 books for children as well as over 20 highly acclaimed natural history books for adults including Windswept: A Passionate View of the Prairie Grasslands; Penguins of the World; Bears: Monarchs of the Northern Wilderness; A is for Arctic: Natural Wonders of a Polar World; Wild Birds Across the Prairies;Planet Arctic: Life at the Top of the World; The Great Northern Kingdom: Life in the Boreal Forest; Owls of the United States and Canada: A Complete Guide to their Biology and Behavior; Penguins: The World's Coolest Birds; Galapagos: A Traveler's Introduction; A Celebration of Prairie Birds; and Bears of the North: A Year Inside Their Worlds.In 2022, he released Wildlife of the Rockies for Kids and Loons: Treasured Symbols of the North. His books have won multiple awards and have been described as "a magical combination of words and images."

Wayne Lynch's profile page

Irene McKinnon's profile page

Russell and Bauer have provided a first–rate field guide, with broad appeal, that effectively places the extant Albertan herpetofauna into its proper evolutionary, historical and ecological context.

—The Canadian Field Naturalist

An important book that helps direct attention to boreal herpetology. Given the currently high public interest in a possible global decline of amphibians, this book is particularly timely.

—Herpetological Review