Viva Natura Field Guide

Intro

Viva Natura field guide to the Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals of Western Mexico includes 240 species of local fauna and over 450 color photographs. There are 1-5 photographs per species, natural history in form of icons, a distribution map for each species and in selected cases an audio file.

Web version

Web based version presented here is provided to the general public for free. Identical functionality and content is also available for offline use (in the field) for mobile devices as an app for iOS and Android as well as a Kindle ebook version.

Mobile versions for offline use

iOS version ($2.49 USD)

Android version ($2.49 USD)

Viva Natura Field Guide for Kindle ($8 USD)

Content (updated frequently)

• Scope: Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, Mammals
• Geographic Scope: Western Mexico from Sinaloa to Michoacan (aprox.)
• Content: 240 species of fauna
• Images: 450 color photographs
• Media: sound library under contraction
• Maps: distribution maps provided by iNaturalist
• Natural History: in form of icons

Intent

Viva Natura Field Guide is designed as a tool for identifying Mexican animals. It can be used as a stand alone element, but it is also appended in appropriate sections of this website. Chapter on Mexican amphibians on this web will for example include the relevant section of the field guide for easy access.

Future plans

Viva Natura will expand its scope to other parts of Mexico as well as other groups of organisms. At the same time making existing sections more complete and robust. Check back soon.

Petr Myska

Biologist, conservationist and photographer. Viva Natura field guide and app concept creator, author of the texts and graphics published in the current edition. Author of all photographs, unless stated otherwise. Originally from the Czech Republic, resident to Mexico since 2000. Former researcher of the academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and BBC radio correspondent. Founder and director of Viva Natura – initiative focused on promoting the biodiversity of Mexico. Author of several publications on fauna of Western Mexico and a frequent contributor to national and international printed media. Collaborator of CONABIO’s (Mexican Committee on Biodiversity) Image Bank Project. Cameraman, producer and co-creator of a number of documentaries on Mexican nature, including feature documentary “Touch of the Blue Crocodile” (2012).

Lukas Jendele

Student at the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Web based version of Viva Natura Field Guide as well as its Android version have been developed by Lukas as his school project.

Hilda Camacho

Application developer. Founder and owner of Siti Systems, leader in home and business integration, based in Banderas Bay, Mexico, specializing in custom made intelligent systems for commercial and residential projects, software development and network solutions.

iNaturalist.org

Species distribution maps are provided in cooperation with iNaturalist, a place where you can record what you see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world. From hikers to hunters, birders to beach-combers, the world is filled with naturalists, and many of us record what we find. What if all those observations could be shared online? You might discover someone who finds beautiful wildflowers at your favorite birding spot, or learn about the birds you see on the way to work. If enough people recorded their observations, it would be like a living record of life on Earth that scientists and land managers could use to monitor changes in biodiversity, and that anyone could use to learn more about nature. That’s the vision behind iNaturalist.org. So if you like recording your findings from the outdoors, or if you just like learning about life, join in!