From Booklist
Sea turtles are among the planet's most ancient inhabitants, arising during the Triassic period some 220 million years ago and not changing much since. As they spend their lives at sea, only coming ashore to nest, much of what has been learned about the physiology and behavior of sea turtles has been discovered fairly recently with the advent of modern scientific equipment. Spotila, a longtime sea turtle researcher, distills what is known about these mysterious ocean wanderers into this beautifully illustrated new treatise. He writes with an informative and chatty narrative flow, covering his research and that of other scientists in chapters on the biology, evolution, life cycle, and conservation of sea turtles. Each of the seven species, ranging from the well-known green turtle to the mysterious flatback, receives its own chapter detailing diet, behavior, range, and nesting beaches. Sidebars throughout the text go into more detail on techniques such as radio-tagging turtles. The author is eloquent in his appeal for the conservation of sea turtles. The best single book on the subject. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Book News, Inc.
Spotila, founder of the Int'l Sea Turtle Society, describes seven species of sea turtles in this beautifully illustrated text. Initial chapters describe sea turtles' life cycles, biology, history, and the urgent need for conservation. Separate chapters are devoted to the different species. The text is accessible to the general reader.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Philadelphia Inquirer, December 2004
It is this mixture of scientific expertise and outright human awe that makes this book such a treasure.

Review
"Such enthusiasm is infectious... The accessible text is beautifully illustrated with numerous color photographs. The lay readers will be captivated. The book's review of what scientists know about these charismatic but woefully endangered creatures is substantial enough to interest biologists and conservationists as well. "-- American Scientist

Nature, January 2005
This beautifully produced book deserves to be widely read...

Science, January 2005
His (Spotila's) elegant words are inspirational, and his hopeful message deserves to be heard by a broad audience.

Library Journal, February 2005
Spotila's book is recommended for high school, university, and research-level libraries.

Book Description
For more than a hundred million years, sea turtles have been swimming in the world's oceans. These magnificent, long-lived creatures spend their lives in the water, coming ashore to lay their eggs. Upon hatching, the baby turtles leave the nest and enter a dangerous world of storms and predators. The females will return to the same beach to lay their own eggs when they reach maturity a decade later. Today, there are seven species of sea turtle: the grass--eating green turtle; the sea sponge--eating hawksbill; the olive ridley; the Kemp's ridley, which is the smallest species; the loggerhead; the flatback of Australia; and the giant leatherback. Having escaped the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, these ancient reptiles today face new dangers that threaten their survival: pollution, hunting, and the destruction of their nesting grounds. Will this century be the last to witness their majesty? Will succeeding generations live in a world devoid of their graceful presence? Marine biologist James R. Spotila has spent much of his life unraveling the mysteries of these graceful creatures and working to ensure their survival. In Sea Turtles, he offers a comprehensive and compelling account of their history and life cycle based on the most recent scientific data -- and suggests what we can do now to save them. From the Kemp's ridley, which nests on a single beach on Mexico's Gulf Coast, to the nomadic leatherback, which can weigh up to a ton and is in the most imminent danger of extinction, Spotila offers a vivid description of their diets and mating habits, and the conservation efforts being made on their behalf. Illustrated with stunning color photographs by the world's leading nature photographers, Sea Turtles will inform and inspire readers of all ages everywhere.

About the Author
James R. Spotila holds the Betz Chair of Environmental Science at Drexel University, where he is also director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. Dr. Spotila is a leading ecologist and physiologist who has written more than 100 articles published in leading scientific journals and helped create the field of biophysical ecology. One of the world's leading authorities on sea turtles, he is the founding president of the International Sea Turtle Society and president of the Leatherback Trust, based in Costa Rica.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

James R. Spotila draws on a lifetime of experience and knowledge to offer a comprehensive and compelling account of sea turtle evolutionary history, physiology, life cycle, and behavior. In addition, he provides an insider perspective on the worldwide conservation efforts being made on behalf of sea turtles. Illustrated with images by the world's leading nature photographers, Sea Turtles opens with an informative overview of the seven species, from diet and mating habits to the female turtle's epic journey to lay her eggs on the same beach where she herself had hatched years before. Spotila then devotes individual chapters to each of the species of sea turtle.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal