Since January 2022, it is my honor and pleasure to serve as the new Editor-in-Chief of Mammalian Biology. I took over from Frank E. Zachos, whom I sincerely thank for his remarkable contributions over the preceding 15 years. Under his editorial guidance, Mammalian Biology has consolidated its reputation as one of the top journals in the discipline. I am fully dedicated to upholding our journal’s high standards and continuing its legacy of publishing novel and groundbreaking research on this fascinating taxonomic group.

Mammalian Biology, edited by the German Society for Mammalian Biology (https://www.mammalian-biology.de/), covers a wide range of topics, reflecting the richness and complexity of research on mammals. This is one of the major assets of our journal, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of the field. Recent examples are the three so far most cited articles published in 2021, covering diverse research topics such as the assessment of the diets of multiple insectivorous mammals using molecular techniques (Browett et al. 2021), the cues triggering seasonal breeding in different mammal species (Clauss et al. 2021), and the spatio-temporal occurrence of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) including its effects on soil and vegetation (Greco et al. 2021). One of the highlights in 2022, further underpinning the journal’s topical diversity, was the publication of a special issue, managed by the guest editors Leszek Karczmarski (who also serves as a subject editor for the journal), Stephen C.Y. Chan, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Scott Y.S. Chui, and Elissa Z. Cameron. This special issue, which comprises two parts, presents an outstanding collection of articles on individual identification and photographic techniques in mammalian ecological and behavioral research (Karczmarski et al. 2022a, 2022b). All articles of this special issue are freely accessible (either open access or free to read) via https://www.springer.com/journal/42991/updates.

Editing articles on such diverse topics and related methodological approaches represent a significant challenge that can only be handled through team work. I am fortunate to work alongside a dedicated team of subject editors (https://www.springer.com/journal/42991/editors), which is comprised entirely of volunteers, and whose expertise in diverse fields of mammalian biology ensures the rigorous evaluation and selection of high-quality manuscripts. I sincerely appreciate the board members’ consistent effort and dedication in making prompt and fair decisions on all submissions to our journal. I particularly thank Juan Carranza, Allan McDevitt, Luis A. Ruedas, and Laura A.B. Wilson, who, after dedicated service to our journal, have made the decision to transition from our editorial board. Furthermore, I wanted to introduce the new subject editors Amando Bautista (animal behavior, developmental psychobiology), Carlos Rouco (wildlife ecology and management), and Teresa G. Valencak (physiology), who have recently joined our board. Welcome!

Above all, our editorial work would not be possible without the invaluable input of all the distinguished reviewers providing their expertise, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to each and every one of them for their contributions.

Each of our issues, published every 2 months, features a new cover photo, typically showcasing the study species from one of the articles appearing in that issue. Therefore, authors are regularly providing excellent collections of photos, and unfortunately, we can only select one photo per issue. Since recently, a gallery of these cover photos is available on the journal website, via https://www.springer.com/journal/42991/updates/25316756.

Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to all our authors for their ongoing support and invaluable contributions to Mammalian Biology. It is through their dedication that we can continue to strengthen the journal’s renown and foster advancements in mammal research. I look forward to the future of Mammalian Biology under my editorship.