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Tortoises may be the first family of higher animals to become extinct in the coming decades. They are losing the survival race because of what distinguishes them, in particular their slow, steady pace of life and reproduction. This book offers an introduction to these remarkable animals and the extraordinary adaptations that have allowed them to successfully populate a diverse range of habitats - from deserts to islands to tropical forests.
At the center of this work is the author's own research in the Mascarene and Galapagos Islands, where the plight of giant tortoise populations illustrates the threat faced by all tortoises. He addresses unique survival problems, from genetic issues to the costs and benefits of different reproductive strategies. Though the picture he draws is bleak, he offers reason for hope in the face of seemingly inevitable tragedy.
* The Tortoise and the Hare? * What Exactly Are Tortoises and Turtles? * Live Long and Prosper * N o Respect for the Ancient Lands * Eating Tortoises *"Such Huge Defourmed Creatures" * Beloved Captives * Are There Solutions? * Achilles and the Tortoise * Appendixes * Extremes of the Tortoise World * Tortoises on the Brink of Extinction * Tortoise Species * Further Reading * Acknowledgments * Index
Craig B. Stanford is Professor in the Departments of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at the University of Southern California.
Stanford writes in an engaging, storytelling style that speaks of his passion for the topic and his personal experiences both as a young naturalist and a seasoned biologist. He details the importance of tortoises to the various ecosystems they inhabit and builds a case for our need to be concerned about their declining population sizes, both from the standpoint of tortoise species and whole ecosystems. -- Eleanor Sterling Times Higher Education 20100513 Longevity, toughness and wisdom are the qualities we associate with this iconic animal. Craig B. Stanford shows how their habitat is threatened and takes us to the markets where they are sold for food, as pets and even as soup bowls...He writes about conservationists and their efforts to combat extinction risk, but he is not hopeful: "Once the wild populations are virtually exterminated," a few will "hang on only in zoos and in the hands of wealthy private collectors. They will no longer be a species in the evolutionary sense. They will just be a scattered gene pool, a few protected, priceless animals locked up in cages." Here's a chance to know a little about them before they are gone. -- Susan Salter Reynolds Los Angeles Times 20100516 [Stanford's] reporting here is professional and remarkably thorough, but tinged with anger and sadness at the senselessness of the crisis. -- Greg Ross American Scientist 20100701 Stanford utilized his expertise in primate anthropology and his field experiences with turtles in the Galipagos and Mascarene islands to produce an easily readable and exceptionally informative, if somewhat depressing, narrative on globally threatened turtles, collectively called tortoises. -- E. D. Keiser Choice 20101101
