Time of the Turtle

by Jack Rudloe, Karen Herrod (Illustrator)

Time of the Turtle follows Jack Rudloe as he learns about the endangered sea creatures from the beaches of Georgia, Surinam and Costa Rica to the waters off North, Central and South America.during their most precarious period, when sea turtles were verging on extinction. He begins the story at a time when many sea turtles still ended up in a soup pot and only a handful of scientists were working to change the downward trend. The book chronicles Rudloe's lifelong relationship with and love of turtles from his early days of wishing he could save a turtle on the deck of a shrimp boat he was working on, to the days when turtles were finally protected and the headlong slide into the oblivion of extinction was slowed. Rudloe, along with his wife Anne, was one of the best known voices to the public crying out for the protection of sea turtles. From their landmark cover story on sea turtles for National Geographic to the image of Jack Rudloe carrying a sea turtle into the legislature of Florida demanding their protection, this is an era of change and growing public awareness. This is the story of humanity and sea turtles. Packed full of interesting anecdotes and scientific facts, this book is a history of an era and continuing call to save the turtles. In addition to the original photographs and wonderful drawings by illustrator Karen Harrod, this Kindle edition includes recent photographs of the work of Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory as they work saving sea turtles. There is also the uplifting story of Allie, the 200 pound Loggerhead rescued at Alligator Point and returned to the wild a year later in 2013.

Genres: Biology

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Caitlyn Smallwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm already very emotionally attached to turtles and this book really got me almost crying by the end. I love it.

[Craig Pittman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good, I wish someone would reprint it. Jack Rudloe is a terrific writer, mixing action, adventure and science as he delves into his research into the lives of turtles of all kind but primarily sea turtles.

The book has an electrifying opening scene with two sea turtles turning up in the net of a shrimp boat on which Jack is riding. Each chapter that follows offers a wealth of scientific information mixed with equally interesting action scenes -- scenes in Jack's own fish tanks, aboard his boat, even exploring foreign beaches. There's plenty of humor, too, as Jack interacts with his wife, his staff and the local fishing community.

The mix of the two -- action and science -- makes for good reading all the way through. It was also exciting for me to see him describing a visit with acclaimed turtle scientist Archie Carr and his wife, Marjorie Harris Carr, and to see that they talked about the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Alas, both are gone now, as is Peter Prichard, another well-known turtle scientist mentioned in these pages.

All in all, Jack is quite a character and accompanying him as he explores the world of turtles is far from a slow ride.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s tough to be a turtle