Mind the map: trips and pitfalls in making and reading carnivore distribution maps

A wide range of theoretical and applied analyses in animal ecology, biogeography, and conservation biology involve the production or use of maps of species' distributions. Species' distributions are dynamic over time, thus any map is a model, with its specific assumptions, caveats, approximations, and errors. Not all maps are equal or equally useful for all purposes, but distinguishing a useful map from a useless one (for any given purpose) by simply looking at it may be impossible. This chapter summarizes the different types of maps that can be produced, and highlights potential sources of errors and their effects.