Product Description
The name "snapping turtle" conjures up images of powerful, prehistoric-looking beasts that lurk in the dark waters of local swimming holes. Beyond its status as childhood legend, Chelydra serpentina is one of the most interesting reptiles of the New World. One of our largest turtles, this animal weighs up to thirty-five pounds, lays as many as one hundred eggs and can deliver a nasty bite. Due to its wide distribution, abundance, and large reproductive output, the snapping turtle has become one of the most extensively studied species of reptiles. This volume synthesizes all that is known about the common snapping turtle to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive resource on the species' evolution, physiology, behavior, and life history. Anthony C. Steyermark, Michael S. Finkler, Ronald J. Brooks, and a team of experts detail the systematics, energetics, growth patterns, sex determination, and population genetics of snapping turtles and devote special attention to the fossil record of the snapping turtle family Chelydridae. The first broad biological treatment of the common snapping turtle, this is the definitive reference for anyone working with or interested in this fascinating reptile. Contributors: Ralph A. Ackerman, Iowa State University; Abdulaziz Y. A. AlKindi, Sultan Qaboos University; Barbara A. Bell, Drexel University; Ronald J. Brooks, University of Guelph; Justin D. Congdon, Savannah River Ecology Lab; Carl H. Ernst, George Mason University; Michael A. Ewert, Indiana University Bloomington; Michael S. Finkler, Indiana University Kokomo; Matthew K. Fujita, University of California, Davis; Eugene S. Gaffney, American Museum of Natural History; David A. Galbraith, Royal Botanical Gardens; Robert E. Gatten, Jr., University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Judith L. Greene, Savannah River Ecology Lab; J. Howard Hutchison, University of California, Berkeley; John B. Iverson, Earlham College; Fredric J. Janzen, Iowa State University; Jason J. Kolbe, Washington University; David B. Lott, Clarion University of Pennsylvania; Ibrahim Y. Mahmoud, Sultan Qaboos University; Don Moll, Southwest Missouri State University; Scott A. Reese, Kennesaw State University; Todd A. Rimkus, Marymount University; H. Bradley Shaffer, University of California Davis; James R. Spotila, Drexel University; David E. Starkey, University of Central Arkansas; Anthony C. Steyermark, University of St. Thomas; Gordon R. Ultsch, University of Alabama; Nigel H. West, University of Saskatchewan |
Great contents, terrible format and construct 
The contents of "Biology of the Snapping Turtle" are worth the amount learning about snapping turtles, Chelydra serpentina, is worth to you. Some of the world's most capable professionals concerning this species comprise the impressive author list. Most future papers on snappers will need to cite a chapter or three from this text somewhere along the way.
This book has been slated for publication by multiple publishers, and has been put off and canceled time and again. You would think that after the better part of a decade things would be nice and shiny, but this is not so. The book is a little large for its contents' layout, which is essentially that of journal papers. There are no plates or color photos, and the few black and white photos in line with the text are printed on such cheap paper that they pale in comparison to many generic black and white photos in turtle books published over half a century ago.
This book's construct is, simply put, very cheap and very crude. It's a lousy book with very great, important information. If the contents had been published in journals, the book would contain about $15-25 worth of reprints, if that puts into perspective what the boards and dust jacket from a university press are worth. It is too bad Johns Hopkins didn't exercise more integrity for THE book on such an incredible, underappreciated, and now better-covered animal.
April 26, 2008 | |
