India, Feb. 21 -- The fourth edition of Indian Mammals: A Field Guide (2023) marks 20 years since the first, and represents a quantum leap.

Where the first listed about 422 species, the latest edition lists all 440 known species of mammals found on the Indian subcontinent, from antelope and deer to our five species of big cat, three species of massive wild cattle (these include the gaur, Asian wild buffalo and the wild yak), wild goats, sheep, primates, bats and rodents.

"Camera traps have changed the game and helped us understand species much better. This is particularly true of the small, nocturnal animals such as otters, small cats, civets and badgers," says its author Vivek Menon, 55, a conservationist and co-founder of the NGO Wild...