Southern California Natural History is a multimedia WWW project providing general descriptions of the climate and geography of the region and covering, in depth, the flora and fauna of the Southern California natural environment including:

• land vertebrates (20 amphibians, 52 reptiles, 179 birds, 41 mammals)
• terrestrial plants (62 families, 164 genera and over 200 species)
• vegetation types (24)

There are about 700 photographs and over 100 sounds. Only text descriptions are included for some organisms for which photographic and/or sound materials have not yet been obtained by the author.

How to Use These Pages

The materials are organized as a taxonomic tree. You access a species by proceeding through a series of links from higher to lower taxonomic levels. Bird species may be accessed by habitat or by taxonomic order, reptiles and amphibians by taxonomic group or habitat, and plants by plant community, genus, common name or family.

On a species page, click on the thumbnail image to view a larger image. To hear bird, frog and mammal vocalizations, click on the speaker icon.

Purpose

These modules were developed for use in college courses on local natural history and vertebrate biology. Using these modules does not replace first-hand field identification and observation. These modules complement first-hand activities and can help users prepare for future field work and review past field experiences.

This material should also be useful and interesting for anyone with a keen interest in our native animals and plants. It is the author's hope that this project will enhance the user's appreciation and knowledge of the rich biota of southern California.

CD-ROM Version

This is a WWW, multimedia project. An internet browser is required to view this material. A JavaScript-enabled browser is recommended. From your browser's File menu, open the START.HTML files in the SCNH folder on the Life Science CD.