Sea Turtles: An Extraordinary Natural History of Some Uncommon Turtles [Hardcover]

Blair Ernest Witherington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2006

Streamlined and equipped with flippers, sea turtles seem uniquely adapted for water-yet remain firmly attached to land, where the females lay their eggs each year. They sport the many colors of the rainbow, range in weight from 100 to 1,300 pounds, and figure in the mythology and folklore of cultures around the world. And still, they currently risk extinction. In this book, marine biologist Blair Ernest Witherington, who has devoted decades to these ancient creatures, offers readers an in-depth look into their mysterious world. Accompanied by exquisite photographs, his descriptions comprise a personal introduction to these strangely graceful marine reptiles. Detailed, lively, and up-to-date imagery tells the story of sea turtles’ distant origins, their specialized form and undersea challenges, senses and life cycle, world voyages and navigational talents—and their ecological roles. The most comprehensive overview of sea turtles to date, this book portrays each of the seven species in close-up, offering information on appearance, distribution, movements, life history, reproduction, diet, unique traits, and conservation.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Biologist Witherington doesn't find it difficult to imagine a turtle with the elegance of a bird. He has worked with sea turtles for 20 years and shares his fascination with these ancient reptiles in this new introduction to the group. The seven species of sea turtles are found in coastal waters as adults and must return to uncluttered beaches to lay their eggs, a life cycle familiar to beachgoers and divers worldwide. Opening chapters cover the evolution of sea turtles and their physiology, anatomy, life cycle, and natural history. A chapter that will hold particular interest examines the nesting of sea turtles as the females come to shore to dig their nests and bury their eggs--an event that many enthusiasts have witnessed. Another chapter is devoted to how baby turtles make it to the open ocean and how adults navigate, followed by an examination of the turtles' role in marine ecology. A long section provides a description of each species of sea turtle, and the final chapter discusses their relations with humans. Beautifully illustrated. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

The Book Worm Sez, December 2006

“Filled with handy information, lots of pictures, and information on where to find these critters of the deep.”

Booklist, Nov. 1, 2006

“Beautifully illustrated.”

Science Teacher, Nov. 1, 2007

“Sea Turtles is a well-written and superbly illustrated book about the many types of sea turtles found in the world and the problems that face them today. Interest in these reptiles is high among students and scientists alike, since many species are severely threatened.  The resource would be a great addition to classrooms and school libraries.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 132 pages
• Publisher: Voyageur Press; 1st edition (October 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760326444
• ISBN-13: 978-0760326442
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,569,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great sea turtle book that mixes biology, conservation, and art!, July 19, 2007

By 

R Schmidt (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sea Turtles: An Extraordinary Natural History of Some Uncommon Turtles (Hardcover)

Sea Turtles: An Extraordinary Natural History of Some Uncommon Turtles, by Blair Witherington, is another great sea turtle book in the tradition of James R. Spotila (Sea Turtles: A Complete Guide to Their Biology, Behavior, and Conservation). These are not just tabletop books (although the quality of the photographs clearly encourages their display). The ecology, behavior, anatomy, physiology, and biogeography of the seven species of sea turtles is simplified for the layperson without distorting the complicated nature of sea turtle life history. The photographs are breathtakingly beautiful.

The strength of this book is the clarity of Witherington's writing as he summarizes sea turtle biology, and the nice sections on each species. The weakness probably is in his discussion of conservation concerns, especially in what the reader can do.

I like to leave a copy of a book on sea turtles with a teacher when I'm invited to give a talk. This is a great book for middle and high school classrooms, and is a great addition to the library of any sea turtle enthusiast.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, August 1, 2007

By 

Nature Girl (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sea Turtles: An Extraordinary Natural History of Some Uncommon Turtles (Hardcover)

This captivating portrait of the world's sea turtles has answered just about all the questions I ever had about these mysterious animals. How long do they live? Where do they travel? How do they find their way? What do they eat? How do they make more little sea turtles? And the questions are answered artfully, with gorgeous photos, maps, exquisite illustrations (of each of 7 species), and lively writing that flows with the images. The writing has a sprinkling of unique perspective, humor, and philosophy. Witherington writes about sea turtles as if they were old friends. His description of extinction prospects and conservation left me optimistic rather than depressed. Folks who are real sea turtle heads probably have this information in a lot of different sources, but it's nice to have the sea turtle story together in such a lovely form. I've really become a big fan of sea turtles. I see buying this book for people I'd like to share the feeling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, August 20, 2008

By 

John Scanlon (Az) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sea Turtles: An Extraordinary Natural History of Some Uncommon Turtles (Hardcover)

A beautiful book with lots of full color pictures. The text is thorough and interesting, covering the origins, role in the ecosystem and conservation status of all seven species. The pictures would make this book worthy of coffee table status by their depiction of these peaceful creatures in brilliantly blue waters, but its textual content makes it a solid reference resource. I would highly recommend this book.