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292 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 13, NUMBER 4  •  DECEMBER 2006 BOOK REVIEW

Sea Turtles of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States. 2006.
By Carol Ruckdeschel and C. Robert Shoop; foreword by James
R. Spotila. The University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia,
USA. vii + 136 pp. Paperback – ISBN: 0-8203-2614-3 – $19.95.

Anyone who has ever walked along a beach and seen a sea tur-
tle emerge from the ocean will never forget the experience.
Although these marine reptiles have roamed the oceans for over
a hundred million years, in the past few centuries their popula-
tions have declined toward extinction at the hands of humans.
Today, all sea turtles are listed as endangered or critically endan-
gered by the IUCN Redlist (2006) and are protected under the
U.S. Endangered Species Act. Whether the conservation efforts
of governments or NGOs around the world are able to repair
the damage remains to be seen, but the galvanization of public
support through education is a necessary part of conservation
work if we are to have any hope of success. This book is an excel-
lent introduction for the general public to some of the seas’ most
beautiful animals.

The first chapter gives a broad introduction to sea turtle
biology and includes general life history stages, diets, diseases,
and predators. A brief section on conservation talks about some
of the threats facing sea turtles living in the coastal waters of the
eastern U.S. and some of the efforts being used to address them,
such as turtle excluder devices (TEDs) installed on fishing nets.
No mention was made of head-starting programs, such as that
on Padre Island. These have had mixed results and have become
quite controversial in recent years (see references). A set of brief
guidelines for people who wish to observe nesting turtles con-
cludes the introduction.

The bulk of the book (pp. 35–106) is devoted to accounts
of each of the six species found along the eastern coast of the
United States: Leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), Loggerheads
(Caretta caretta), Kemp’s Ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii), Olive
Ridleys (L. olivacea), Greens (Chelonia mydas), and Hawksbills
(Eretmochelys imbricata). Each account follows the same format,
starting with the species’ status and its distribution, which is
illustrated with color maps, followed by extensive descriptions
that include photographs, sections on life history and behavior,
and ending with summaries of conservation threats and work
specific to that species.

A one-page epilogue emphasizes the importance of further
conservation work, and gives a list of ways for the public to help.
Concluding the book is an appendix, which contains useful and
easy-to-follow keys and a glossary. The key uses numerous illus-
trations to clarify the written descriptions. In addition to a key
for identifying living turtles, another helps identify carcasses that
may have washed ashore. The latter is based on different body
parts, in case the turtle has begun to decompose. The glossary

provides clear and simple definitions for all technical and turtle-
specific terms and a short list of books and websites that provide
further information on sea turtles.

Taken as a whole, this book summarizes a great deal of
information, although it is a bit dry and tedious at times. Each
account differs in only a few species-specific details, which
becomes repetitive. The authors have amassed a large collection
of photographs, which add immensely to the appearance and
utility of the book. The photographs and the keys are this book’s
strongest points. Diagrams and illustrations generally were quite
good, although some (e.g., Fig. 1, p. 14, which shows the rela-
tive sizes of eggs produced by different species) seemed less than
professional in quality. Overall, however, Ruckdeschel and
Shoop did an excellent job of compiling an easy-to-understand
guide to sea turtles for the general public.

References
Heppell, S. S., L. B. Crowder, and D. T. Crouse. 1996. Models to evaluate

headstarting as a management tool for long-lived turtles. Ecological
Applications 6:556–565.

IUCN (The World Conservation Union). 2006. 2006 Red List of Threatened
Species. www.iucnredlist.org.

Mortimer, J. A. 1995. Headstarting as a management tool, pp. 613–615. In:
K.A. Bjorndal (ed.), Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles. Smithsonian
Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

Woody, J. B. 2001. Guest editorial: It’s time to stop headstarting Kemp’s Ridley.
Marine Turtle Newsletter 55:7–8.

Jennifer M. Germano
Zoology Department

University of Otago, New Zealand

Sea Turtles: 
A Guide for the General Public

B O O K  R E V I E W