Handbook of Turtles: The Turtles of the United States, Canada, and Baja California

by Archie Carr, J. Whitfield Gibbons (Foreword)

Having spent years studying turtles in their native habitats, Archie Carr brought together a wealth of information in this celebrated volume. Organized in clear and concise fashion, written in an engaging and lively manner, and furnished with black-and-white photographs, drawings, and maps, Handbook of Turtles (first published in 1952) gives a comprehensive summary of 79 species and subspecies of North American turtles. In the foreword to 1995 paperback edition, J. Whitfield Gibbons, renowned ecologist and natural history author, brings the book into historical perspective and supplies information to bring it up to date. In the introduction, Carr considers such topics as turtle physiology, reproduction, growth, adaptation, and behavior. The introduction also includes discussions of methods for collecting specimens, the evolutionary origins of turtles, and the mythology and folklore surrounding the turtle. The second part of the volume is organized according to keys that give identifying characteristics, life histories, and illustrations of each species. Under headings of geographical range, distinguishing features, description, habitat, habits, breeding, feeding, and economic importance, the volume provides detailed accounts of the various species and subspecies. Throughout Carr offers colorful recollections and anecdotes about his fieldwork and research.

560 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1995

About the author

Archie Carr was a University of Florida Graduate Research Professor of Zoology and was associated with the University for more than fifty years. His entire career was spent at the University of Florida, first as a student, B.A. (1932), M.S. (1934), and as the University’s first Ph.D. (1937) in zoology.

His ability to translate science into literature brought the first international attention to the plight of sea turtles. He wrote 11 books and over 120 scientific articles about sea turtles and their habitats before his death in 1987. His work and writings ranged throughout Florida, the Caribbean, and Africa. After his death, he was honored with the creation of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge in Florida and the Dr. Archie Carr Wildlife Refuge in Costa Rica.

Archie Carr published his first paper on sea turtles in 1942, but it was not until he wrote his classic Handbook of Turtles (1952) that he began to focus his research on sea turtles. He described his early discoveries about the plight of sea turtles in his book The Windward Road particularly in his chapter The Passing of the Fleet, which was a call to arms and resulted in global efforts to conserve sea turtles from extinction.

Archie Carr was one of those rare individuals who could inspire both scientific and general public audiences with his writings. His genius and creativity were allowed full scope because the University of Florida awarded him a graduate research professorship in 1959, essentially freeing him of all responsibilities so that he could pursue his research and writing. He repaid that investment many-fold.

In 1987 he was awarded the Eminent Ecologist Award by the Ecological Society of America. He made extraordinary contribution to sea turtle conservation by way of bringing attention to the world's declining turtle populations due to over-exploitation and loss of safe habitat.

Source: University of Florida; http://accstr.ufl.edu/accstr-overview...

Reviews

[Turtleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a classic book on the turtles of North America, but it is also very dated, being first published in 1952. Some species names have changed, and we know much more about turtles now than in 1952. There have likely been more than ten times as many scientific papers published since 1950 compared to all the years before 1950.
If you simply want up to date information on North American turtles then this is not the book for you. If you are, however, interested in how our understanding of the ecology of these species has changed and you appreciate fine writing, then this is a wonderful read. Where else will you find a comparison of the palatability of each species of turtle? Or read about mistaken ideas of the past: "Although published references to the voice of one turtle or another are frequently met, that which strikes me as the most extraordinary that I have come across is J. A. Allen’s statement that the song of the painted turtle “is frequently heard in May and June, especially during intervals between showers on hot, sultry days” (1868)." Carr knew that Allen had mistakenly assigned the call of a frog to a basking turtle, but adds such anecdotes to liven up the species accounts.
Carr's writing is always intelligent and inviting, even when writing about problems we have still today, such as roadkill: "There exists a curious lot of witless or psychopathic characters who love to run over box turtles on the roads to hear them pop, and there is probably nothing much that can be done about these people except to hope they skid." Sadly, not much has changed in 70 years.
Highly recommended for those obsessed with turtles.

[Irwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

all the time mac