The Texas Tortoise: A Natural History (Volume 13) (Animal Natural History Series)

Synopsis

Remnants Of An Ancient Lineage, Tortoises Date Back To The Eocene. Among The Five Species Remaining In North America, Texas Tortoises Are The Smallest In Size And Inhabit Some Of The Harshest Arid Environments Known. They Are Also The Most Neglected By Wildlife Personnel. In The Texas Tortoise, Biologists Francis L. Rose And Frank W. Judd Draw On Decades Of Research To Offer The First Comprehensive Account Of This Fascinating But Threatened Species. The Authors Begin By Explaining The Relationship Of The Texas Tortoise To Other Species, Fossil As Well As Extant. They Delineate The Texas Tortoise's Environment And Describe What It Eats, How The Animal Grows And Reproduces, And How It Behaves. Readers Also Learn The Tortoise's Tactics For Enduring Potentially Deadly High Temperatures, From Panting To Sheltering In Other Animals' Burrows. Throughout, Rose And Judd Write Eloquently About The Threats To The Species' Survival, Reflecting Deep Concern About Its Future Protection.^ The Authors Also Discuss Texas Tortoises' Significance In Supporting Other Species In Their Environment - Southern Texas And Northeastern Mexico - Where Their Survival Is Threatened By Habitat Reduction And Other Human-caused Environmental Changes, Including Increasing Road Traffic. If You See A Tortoise On The Roadway, Rose And Judd Admonish To Ther Reader, Move It To Safety, And Drive Away As Quickly As Legally Allowed. It Is In Fact Illegal To Collect Or Possess A Texas Tortoise. But For Those Who Do, This Book Advises How To Care For The Animal, Including Feeding It Romaine Lettuce And Hatching Its Eggs In Masonry Sand Placed In A Tortilla Warmer. Tortoises Have Enjoyed A Splendid And Diverse History. That They Did So Well For So Long Is Perplexing, The Authors Note, As The Animals Are Slow, Do Not Actively Defend Themselves Against Predators, And Are Readily Eaten By All Manner Of Creatures, Among Them Human Beings.^ The Texas Parks And Wildlife Department Lists Texas Tortoises As Threatened, And Rose And Judd Call On The Federal Government To Do The Same, As Security Fencing Under Construction Along The U.s. -mexico Border Will Destroy Valuable Habitat. Biologists, Conservationists, And Turtle Enthusiasts Alike Will Find This Guide To Texas And Other Tortoises Invaluable. -- From Dust Jacket. General Description And Phylogenetic Relationships -- Geographic Range And Habitat -- Animal Associates And Relationships -- Morphology And Anatomy -- Size, Growth, And Sexual Dimorphism -- Sensory Modalities -- Temperature Regulation, Water Use And Retention, And Photoperiod Response -- Behavior -- Population Ecology -- Environmental Resistance To Tortoise Survival -- Conservation, Monitoring, And Maintenance -- The Future : Species Significance And Bearing On Ecological Problems. Francis L. Rose And Frank W. Judd. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.