Turtle Books

Proper care and Maintenance of American Box Turtles discusses the special needs of Box Turtles, including diet, housing, lighting, and more! Indoor and outdoor set-ups are discussed along with heating, lighting, feeding, water maintenance, hibernation and breeding. Brief species accounts are giveb for Eastern, Ornate, Florida , Three-toed and Gulf Coast Box Turtles.

Softcover, 94 pages, 102 colour photos, 2 black-and-white photos, 17 tables and two coloured distribution maps. North America harbours a turtle fauna with a unique diversity of forms and lifestyles. Its distribution extends from southern Canada with its very long winters and the western parts of the United States across to the east coast of the USA and down to the sunny south of this country. Florida even has the highest species density of freshwater turtles on a global scale,. This variety must excite every true animal lover who will value and strive to protect it both in the wild and in the terrarium with the means available to him or her. Two wonderful examples of this great natural treasure of North America are the wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) and the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata). With the present book I want to equip you, dear turtle friend, with a "manual" for keeping wood and spotted turtles properly. Find out where and how these two turtle species live in nature and how these realisations can be translated into how to best keep and propagate them in your home environment.

Frankfurt Contributions to Natural History Vol. 34

Frankfurt am Main 2008, hardcover, 191 pages, 92 colour photos, 36 line drawings.

Frankfurt am Main 2009, hardcover, 271 pages, 160 colour photos, 3 distibution maps.

Text in English. This book provides brief accounts on the status of Emys orbicularis in the following countries or regions: North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia); Iberian Peninsula (including the Balearic Islands); France (including Corsica); Belgium / The Netherlands / Luxemburg; Switzerland; Germany; Italy (including Sicily and Sardinia); Denmark; Austria; Czech Republic; Slovenia; Poland; Hungary; Slovakia;Albania; Greece; Romania; Lithuania; Latvia; Bulgaria; Ukraine; Belarus; Turkey; Russia and the Caucasus region

USA 2011, kt., 59 Seiten, Farbfotos.

Frankfurt Contributions to Natural History Vol 13

Frankfurt 2002, hardcover, 159 pages, 68 colour, 9 black-and.white photos, 6 distribution maps.

The keeping and breding of freshwater turtles continues to be one of the fastest growing and most energized branches of herpetoculture. The author presents information and ideas the can help keepers enhance their work and help them provide more interesting and appropriate environments for their turtles.

Language: Bilingual in English and German, figure legends in English only

The second edition of this volume of "Terralog" portrays all valid taxa of chelonians inhabiting Africa, Europe and western Asia. It ranges from the widely popular representatives of the genus Testudo, via marine and freshwater turtles, to the colourful tortoises of Africa. Aside from a representative photographic portrayal of every species, this volume also provides photographs detailing characteristics of carapace and plastron, mating, oviposition, hatching, and of course shows a selection of natural habitats, added to which are 61 full-colour distribution maps. Each photographic account is complemented by a symbol-based descriptive summary of the individual husbandry requirements of the respective species in human care.

Containing 590 full-colour photographs (of which 370 are new as compared to the first edition) this volume is a unique photographic reference for both the scientist and terrarium enthusiast and at the same time a fascinating synopsis that makes every reader aware of the beauty of chelonians.

Language: Bilingual in English and German

Presents a fascinating insight into the amazing diversity of North American turtles and tortoises with 500 colour photos of their habitat, sexual dimorphism, peculiarities of the carapace and plastron, mating, oviposition, hatching, and juveniles. Descriptive symbols of their captive needs appear for each species and colour distribution maps for all species are presented for the first time.

Language: Bilingual in English and German

Central and South American turtles - including the impressive Galapagos tortoises as well as the various genera of the family Chelidae - are covered in this third volume. It serves as supplement to volume two by presenting the remaining members of the genera Chelydra, Kinosternon, Rhinoclemmys, Terrapene, and Trachemys. Where possible, more than one individual is shown, as well as photos of their habitat, sexual dimorphism, peculiarities of the carapace and plastron, mating, oviposition, hatching, and juveniles. Descriptive symbols of their captive needs appear for each species.

Language: Bilingual in English and German

This volume is a portrayal of the chelonians of East and South Asia. Most members of the families Geomydidae and Trionychidae inhabit the geographic range covered in this book - from Pakistan to Japan and from Russia to Indonesia. The diversity of the South and East Asian chelonian fauna is even more enriched by numerous forms that have meanwhile been identified as hybrids. A great many of these forms are portrayed in a separate chapter.

Proper care and Maintenance of Water Turtles by Philippe de Vosjoli is a book for all ages. This book provides care information including proper heating, lighting, food, and enclosures.

Frankfurt Contributions to Natural History, Vol. 51

Frankfurt a.M. 2011, hardcover, 280 pages, 70 colour photos

Based upon the vast area and homogeneity of its distribution the ecological very flexible Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata), which occupies the entire Indian subcontinent from Sri Lanka up to the Himalaya in the North, is a very successful turtle species. It survives long periods of drought and, although being an aquatic turtle species, is capable of walking long distances on land if it has to. It is able of tolerating rather high ambient temperatures, and will bury into the ground during extreme hot or cold weather situations until conditions improve. The Indian flapshell turtle has developed very effective means to prevent becoming too easily the prey of other animals and can survive the loss of one or two legs. Because of its small size in comparison to the majority of the other softshell turtles it is easier to keep it in captivity, making it one of very few trionychids of which courtship and copulation behaviour have been observed. Nowadays the Indian soft shell turtle is generally considered the most primitive or one of the most primitive trionychid turtles. Anatomically Lissemys punctata differs in a number of aspects present in most of the more advanced other softshell turtles. Actually it shares many features of hard-shelled turtles, such as retention of small peripheral bones, a rather small size and relatively high or humped carapace. The species offers an interesting opportunity of study and documentation of coevolution: no other softshell turtle species have been found with more endoparasites. Many aspects of our information is still very incomplete as there is an imbalance in the state of knowledge between anatomical-physiological data and ecological-behavioural data. For decades Lissemys punctata has been killed and eaten by the ever-growing population on the Indian subcontinent, in the order of several tens of thousands per year. To make a bad situation worse, a recent threat is that Indian flapshell turtles are exported to markets in far East-Asia on an increasing scale. So, sad as it is, besides the Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis), the Indian flapshell turtle is certainly one of the most exploited and killed trionychid turtle. This book tries to compile all relevant and available information of Lissemys punctata into one volume for a better understanding of this turtle species.

Frankfurt Contributions to Natural History Vol. 31

Frankfurt 2006, hardcover, 152 pages, 61 colour illustrations, 1 map.

On the variability of Cuora trifasciata (Bell, 1825), the rediscovery of the type specimen, with descriptions of a new Cuora species and subspecies, and remarks on the distribution, habitat and vulnerability of these species