The Field Guide to the Rare Animals of Florida evolved through the efforts of Gary Knight, Director, Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI), and Gary Evink, State Ecologist, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). It is a companion volume to the Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida (Chafin, 2000). The commitment of Gary Evink to these guides led to their funding by the FDOT. FNAI is deeply grateful to Gary for his interest and commitment to these guides. We also thank Pete Southall of the FDOT for his efficient administration of the project.

This Guide draws heavily upon the works of hundreds of authors and researchers who have spent countless hours collecting and compiling information about Florida's fauna. One group merits special attention. The dozens of scientists who comprise the Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals have published unrivaled compendia on the statuses of Florida's rare animals (see reference section for volumes edited by Deyrup and Franz 1994, Gilbert 1992, Humphrey 1992, Moler 1992, and Rodgers et al. 1996 ). Without these incredibly detailed accounts, our work would have been far more difficult. We hope that the public will use our guide as a companion to these volumes.

For greatly enhancing the guide through their input and careful reviews, we are grateful to Kurt Auffenberg, Gray Bass, Pam Bowen, Jayne Brim Box, Steven P. Christman, Jim Cox, Mark Deyrup, Terry Doonan, Michael Ewert, Laura S. Finn, R. Wills Flowers, Dick Franz, Carter Gilbert, Jeff Gore, Ted Hoehn, C. Barry Knisley, D. Bruce Means, Anne Meylan, Paul Moler, Bill Pranty, Gary Sprandel, James D. Williams, and Blair Witherington.

The guide's usefulness depends upon the many outstanding photographs provided by the following: Ray E. Ashton, Jr., Gray Bass, Roger Barbour (courtesy of Arkansas Game & Fish Commission), Richard D. Bartlett, Karla Brandt, L. Page Brown (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), Richard T. Bryant, Noel Burkhead, the Caribbean Conservation Corporation, Paul Choate, Steven P. Christman, Sidney Dunkle, Lester Dworetsky, Thomas Emmel, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, David H. Funk, Jerry Lee Gingerich DVM, David Godfrey, Ghislaine Guyot, E. Dennis Hardin, Dan Hipes, Dale R. Jackson, John Jensen, Dean Jue, Bill Keogh, Elliott Lang (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), R. K. Laval (Mammal Images Library), James Layne, Barry Mansell, Larry Master, D. Bruce Means, L. D. Mech (Mammal Images Library), Donna Oddy, Patrick E. O'Neil, David Printiss, Jeff Ripple, Jeff Schmid, Robert S. Simmons (courtesy of S. Christman), Jim Solomon, Brad Stith, Jack Stout, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carla VanNess, Tom Vezo, B. K. Wheeler (VIREO), Joanne Williams, and Blair Witherington. Jean Putnam Hancock, Diane Pierce, and Joe Tomelleri provided exceptional drawings for several accounts. Drawings by Wendy Zomlefer and Merald Clark were graciously contributed by the University Press of Florida. C. Barry Knisley furnished the figure for the Highlands tiger beetle account. We are grateful to James Anderson, Jr., Lou Cross III, Peter Krafft, and Peter Lakanen of the Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center for their help with the range maps and the web version of the rare plant and animal guides.