Wilderness Coast

by Jack Rudloe

The "wilderness coast"--that portion of the Florida Panhandle that juts south into the Gulf of Mexico--is the home of Gulf Specimen Company, and the source of most of the marine creatures that it supplies to educational institutions and research facilities. But the pursuit of the unusual sea creatures and the answers to puzzling biological questions take biologists Jack and Anne Rudloe elsewhere, too. They have travelled to Surinam to catch giant toadfish for the New York Aquarium, to the Florida Keys to study immature spiny lobsters, and to Port Canaveral's ship channel to rescue endangered sea turtles from the crushing jaws of the dredge. They have plumbed the depths of the Gulf of Mexico to find prehistoric-looking giant sea roaches, and explored the life histories--and mysteries--of electric rays, octopuses, horseshoe crabs, and other fascinating marine animals in the course of their daily business. Like any profession, specimen collecting has its attendant for instance, being slashed by a sawfish, zapped by an electric ray, nipped by a sawfish, zapped by an electric ray, nipped by an annoyed sea turtle, or attacked by an alligator. More perilous yet is being caught offshore in violent storm in a less-than-seaworthy boat. Jack Rudloe's knowledge of marine biology and ability to tell a good story have made this entertaining and informative book a natural history classic.

Genres: Nature, Science, Nonfiction

262 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 1988

Reviews

[Grif Morpeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book. I try to teach my kids that there is so much more to Florida than sitting on a beach and his Gulf Specimen Marine Lab has become a tradition for our family vacations. If you love the marshes and shores of Florida then you really should read Rudloe’s books. My only compliant here is that there are numerous errors in the kindle edition. All the facts and stories are correct it’s just that some paragraphs have text from previous pages randomly inserted. Almost like a draft was used for the Kindle edition rather than the final copy. But, nonetheless, a great read and I look forward to reading more of his books.

[Erin Gutish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up after visiting the author's museum in Panacea, Florida. I actually purchased it in the gift shop. Over the last few years I've read a handful of books like this one, and like all the others, I really enjoyed it. As someone who's always been interested in wildlife, this is the first book I've read that really focuses on aquatic life. The stories Jack tells has inspired me to look more into marine biology, and to read the rest of his books.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting learning about new animals, but every time he wrote about how many creatures they killed in pursuit of the one animal, I was kind of horrified and disgusted.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to meet Jack Rudloe recently and I admire his life work. His account of collecting marine specimens and his ability to write engagingly make this an educational and entertaining book. He gives us a lot to think about in regard to man's connection to the sea and to the life forces that are sustained by the ocean - including mankind.

[Lynn]

wonderful look at the panhandle of Florida and other places...rudloe is a good writer and natural scientist.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful well written book about an amazing ecosystem. It's dated, but still worthwhile for its prose and imagery.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to understand Florida and its wildlife. This is the book.

[Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-balanced glimpse into the natural science of marine and freshwater life.