Customer Reviews

Turtles of the United States and Canada

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a must have for turtle lovers everywhere. It is a clear and concise reference book for the known species of turtles and tortoises in the U.S. and Canada. The authors are both well known scholars in the field of herpetology. Carl Ernst has written many scientific papers on a variety of chelonian species. His partner, Barbour is also well known throughout the reptile world. Being a professional herpetologist, I feel that this was a perfect addition to my collection of books.

Very much detailed description of each and every turtles and tortoises found in the US and Canada, from anatomy to behavior to breeding. It's a must for any experienced chelonian enthusiast. Although, I would not recommend this book to a novice.

For turtle owners everywhere this is a valuable resource to have on the shelf! Of all of my 'turtle books' this one is by far my favorite. Even for a novice multiple turtle owner (that knows how to read) this book will prove worthy of its purchase price because it goes a beyond the standard "get a uv light" material. It teaches you about the turtle in the wild so that you can be better equipped to build an environment as closely related to their preferred location as possible while also explaining their habits along with detailed descriptions to help you identify the turtle with certainty and understand its history. My only wish is that there were a book just like it for the turtles outside of the United States & Canada. I also would have appreciated every picture in color rather than just a few ;)

This is a second, revised edition of the same title by Carl Ernst, Jeffrey Lovich and Roger Barbour published previously by the Smithsonian Institution Press in 1994. That (first) edition was an update of Ernst's 1972 volume, which -- in turn -- updated A.F. Carr's, Handbook of Turtles of 1952. Each of these authoritative guides were major rewrites of their predecessor volume and represented a quantum leap in the description of turtles based upon the corresponding expansion of publications in the field.

While he "bemoaned the loss" of the photographs of turtle skulls that had appeared in previous editions, what David Tomlinson stated -- in the journal New Scientist -- about the first edition is just as accurate for this revised, second edition: "It is set to be the standard work on turtles for many a year to come."

In this, the revised edition, by Carl Ernst (Professor Emeritus of George Mason University and Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution) and Jeffrey Lovich (Deputy Director of the U.S. Geological Survey's Southwest Biological Research Center) readers are treated to comprehensive coverage of all 58-species, including those discovered during the interim. Each species account provides information regarding the identification, genesis, distribution, fossil records, geographic variation, habitat, reproduction, behavior, growth, longevity, feeding habits, estimated population, predators and conservation status.

The Glossary of Scientific Names and the extensive bibliography that follows the narrative text, plus the more than 200 color photographs and 52 maps, make this hefty volume THE source for field biologists and herpetologists. No other source compiles so much information together regarding turtles in North America.

Highly recommended for college and university library collections and advanced students with research interests in North American turtles.

R. Neil Scott
Middle Tennessee State University

This is not a small book, nor is it a beginner book. It's over 600 pages excluding bibliography, and weighs about 7 lbs (I checked on a postage scale).
The bottom line is, that if a fact was known about a North American chelonian at the time of publication, it's in this book. It's not geared at novices. It covers things like fossil records, chromosome counts, mean average growth...pretty much ever facet of the natural history of any North American turtle. It of course covers reproduction, diets, conservation issues, and all the standard stuff as well. This is suitable for at least an advanced novice herpetologist, but I think someone who is just starting out might find it a bit intimidating. I'm not going to knock the book for that or count off on it's rating (it didn't set out to be a work for novices after all) but do be warned that it probably isn't a starting point for herpetological studies. You don't have to have a degree to follow it (I don't) but it expects to have a passing familiarity with herpetology.

I cannot think of an adequate way to express the depth that this book goes into on each species, so perhaps an example will suffice: when the book is covering the common snapper, it draws reports from disparate parts of it's range to cover the impact of temperature on growth and reproduction. It list food items by species or genus (the list takes up a full page), it covers what it identifies as the 3 different hibernation strategies and in which circumstances they be likely to be used. That is the sort of treatment this book gives the species it covers. It's a phenomenal reference to have handy. And if it doesn't go into enough detail for you, the bibliography is a couple of hundred pages, with over 5,000 entries so you can trace the studies they cite pretty easily if you have access to a university library. The authors set out to write the definitive work on North American chelonians and the managed to pull it off handsomely.

It's expensive, but if you're seriously interested in North American chelonians, and have some understanding of herpetology, I cannot think of a better resource. Save your pennies and buy it.

The second updated edition of Turtles of the United States and Canada provides the latest updated information and is the most comprehensive coverage of turtles available, blending the latest research and information into a survey representing vast amounts of new scientific discoveries on turtles over the past fifteen years. Any college-level library strong on turtle research, as well as museums, nature centers, and biologists working with them, must have this 'bible'.

Great book with lots of good info that is cited with primary literature. I have read details in this book about turtles that I haven't seen any where else. It's a great book!

I have an extensive library on the natural world. This book is a prized part of that library. I have the original edition and this book has some very meaningful updates. I recommend this for any student or advanced turtle hobbyist. This book is full of excellent pictures and reference material. I have to recommend this book to the highest degree.