Book Review: Saving Sea Turtles

My partner LOVES sea turtles. Seriously! We always have to visit the turtles in pet shops and go to every aquarium to find which one has the best sea turtle exhibit. When Sea World San Diego opened it’s Turtle Reef, we were there on one of the first days. So when I heard that a book was coming out about sea turtles, I knew I had to have it. I wanted to boost my knowledge of this interesting animal that had one my partner’s heart. I have to say, that after reading this book, I am a bigger fan of turtles. I no longer mind being dragged miles out of my way to see a movie on turtles and I will happily spend a weekend in North Carolina to see their hatchings. If nothing else, this book made me appreciate turtles all the more!

Author James Spotila has an excellent resume when it comes to turtles. Not only has be previously published on the topic, but he is regarded as being one of the “world’s leading sea turtle researchers and conservationists”. It is clear that his heart belongs to this shelled beauty. Upon reading his credentials, I was a bit nervous that this book would be too scholastic and over my head. This could not have been further from the truth. For those of us who do not know much about the history of poaching and the extinction of sea turtles, Spotila starts off his book by explaining where we stand today in regards to sea turtles. He tells of how global warming, poachers and developers are wiping out these 110 millions year old species. In order to help the reader understand how impressive sea turtles are, he then describes the growth of a sea turtle from the time they are in an egg to their eventual swim in the sea. He highlights the contemporary difficulties that sea turtles face today like being caught in fishing nets or being scared from the sands by bright house lights on the beach. Additionally, he recognizes the people who kill sea turtles for food, spot, or just by negligence. Of course he draws attention to the positive aspects of the contemporary sea turtle. The country of Costa Rica has taken great strides to protect these beauties and with the establishment of the Great Turtle Race, sea turtles are getting international coverage. In under 225 pages, Spotila gives the down and dirty on the history of these animals, their current state and their (hopefully) optimistic future.

I certainly learned a great deal from this book and can say that I truly appreciate this species as well as those who help to save it. However, I was a bit disappointed that Spotila didn’t give more case studies. The byline for the book reads “extraordinary stories from the battle against extinction”; it is for this reason that I thought he would include stories by himself and others about their trials and tribulations in this field. While there were a couple brief examples, it only made up about a quarter of the book. Though I am happy I can now explain how turtle eggs breath under the sand, I would have liked some more “stories” and a little less science. Still, for the turtle aficionado, this is a must.

-DLP