[.ca] Flattened Fauna Revised (ISBN 1580087558)

"The" field guide for the naturalist in a hurry:
Roger Knutson, a biologist at Luther College, IA, has put together a truly ingenious little book. A guide to the "really most sincerely dead" animals one often sees along streets, roads, and highways. While some may dismiss this book as a parody of other field guides, it is full of accurate, meaningful biological information about animals that frequent roads and roadsides, and that often find themselves smashed into two dimensions. Is this book funny? Yes! Is it a parody on other field guides? Perhaps. So, what is this book about anyway? This is a guide to the animal remains left behind after most carrion feeders and decomposers are done with a dead animal. EEEeeewwwww. OK, OK, perhaps it is a bit grotesque, but there is meaningful biological information to be had there. The book is well written, it is fun, and can be used throughout much of North America. It makes a great gift for the natualist on your gift list. After all, let's face it, most of us spend more time on the road than we do out "in" nature. As a biologist myself, I give this book 5 stars for biological content and for the tongue in cheek approach to this somewhat unsavory topic. Give it a try! Or give it to someone else.

Unique idea, beautifully executed...:
This book should be translated in Finnish, so all my fellow countrymen could enjoy it. In spite of all the gore, the overall idea is to bring the miracles of nature closer to the man on the street.

Sick and Disgusting:
Our culture is killing the planet. Car culture is incredibly destructive of the natural world. Cars, for example, are the main cause of death for the gravely endangered Florida panther. And Knutson makes jokes about cars killing wild animals. Only a culture that has absolutely no respect for the natural world could produce someone who would think roadkill is funny, and would write a book about it. Knutson had a wonderful opportunity to meaningfully explore the horrifying effects of car culture, and chose instead to write this disturbing and disgusting book.

Evolution???:
Indeed, a culture so in love with huge smoking pieces of metal thinks it's "evolved" to the point of no return -- producing this book. Dispeakable in every aspect.

A fairly good reference, and funny!:
This book makes a great gift for the person who has everything! It certainly gets people's attention....and actually, you can identify the "flattened fauna" spotted while hiking with this book. I liked it.