Turtles: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: Q&A for the Curious Naturalist) - Hardcover

Gibbons, Whit; Greene, Judy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801893496 ISBN 13: 9780801893490

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Ever wonder how many kinds of turtles there are? Or if they have teeth? Why so many turtles have yellow stripes on their neck? If it is wise to feed turtles in your neighborhood pond or lake? Whit Gibbons and Judy Greene, two internationally known turtle biologists, provide complete answers to the most frequently asked questions about the more than 300 turtle, tortoise, and terrapin species of the world.

From the palm-sized bog turtles of the United States to the great oceanic leatherbacks, turtles across the globe are admired for their persistence, patience, and resilience. They are favorites of scientific study and beloved pets throughout the world. With a friendly mix of scientific analysis and basic encyclopedic coverage, Gibbons and Greene discuss a broad range of turtle topics, including behavior, ecology, reproduction and development, turtle-human relationships, and the appearance of turtles in popular literature.

With attractive photographs and an intuitive question-and-answer format, Gibbons and Greene answer more than 100 common questions about these remarkable creatures. Readers who want answers to specific questions or just want to expand their knowledge about these unique and interesting animals will find the information they seek in this essential reference.

About this title

About the Author

Whit Gibbons is a professor emeritus of ecology at the University of Georgia. He writes the weekly environmental column Ecoviews and is the author or editor of eleven books, including Snakes of the Southeast. Judy Greene is the herpetology research coordinator at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and has coauthored, with Dr. Gibbons, a number of scholarly articles on herpetology and ecology.

Review

"Turtles, with their strange anatomy and ancient pedigree, never cease to amaze people. Whit Gibbons and Judy Greene have been faced with every conceivable question about the 300 or so species of these endearing reptiles, and in this book they have succeeded splendidly in coming up with the answers."

(Peter C. H. Pritchard, Chelonian Research Institute)

"A good general introduction to turtle biology and ecology."

(Ian Paulsen Birdbooker Report)

"The wide ranging questions are answered in a very readable style, with specific scientific explanations where necessary."

(Christine Tilley British Chelonia Group Newsletter)

"Gibbons and Greene have done a masterful job of assembling questions of great interest to many readers and providing detailed, interesting, and informative answers... Highly recommended."

(Choice)

"Easy and enjoyable to read."

(Gunter Gollman Amphibia-Reptilia)

"Packed full of facts... The book is well written, accurate, and makes for an enjoyable reading experience."

(Kenneth E. Nussear Copeia)

"Any turtle lover should find this reasonably priced volume to be a valuable and useful addition to their book collection."

(Fredric J. Janzen Quarterly Review of Biology)

"A valuable publication, giving answers to the most frequent questions about chelonians in a friendly language that will be easily understood by readers of all backgrounds."

(Javier Valverde Reptilia)

About this edition

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0801893496
• ISBN 13: 9780801893490
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 184