This guide is a comprehensive reference to the basic ecology and identification of Iowa's wild mammals. The 134 page booklet contains full species account for 57 species found in Iowa today, and supplemental material about extirpated or rare species, living alongside mammals and scaled comparisons highlighting the wide variety of shapes and sizes of Iowa's mammals. Species accounts feature photos, range maps that highlight county distributions in the state, and information on the identification, habitats, breeding behavior and diets of each species.

Development of the Field Guide to Mammals of Iowa was a collaborative project between Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Funding for the development of the guide was provided through grants from the Wildlife Diversity Program and the Resource Enhancement and Protection Conservation Education Program of the Iowa DNR.