Venezuela y sus Tortugas

Caracas 2016, geb., Großformat 23 × 33 cm, 184 Seiten, 129 Farbfotos, 5 SW-Abb., 23 Verbreitungskarten. „The book is organized with a presentation by Carlos Rivero-Blanco, a prologue by Vivian Paez, in memoriam to Saul Gutierrez, brief generalities of turtles, a key of identification. A description for each family is giving prior to the account of species. For each species is given the local and scientific name, general characteristics, geographic distribution, habitat, feeding, reproduction, use, and conservation status. An appendix entitled turtles of the past (by Jorge Carrillo-Briceño y M. Sanchez-Villagra) shows the extinct species that inhabited the geological past in the country. Bibliography, glossary and a short list of the acronym used through the book”.

Buchbesprechung in der WAZA news 3/16

Manfred Niekisch – Zoo Frankfurt: Since its publication in 1984, the book “Turtles of Venezuela” by Peter Pritchard and Pedro Trebbau has become the standard reference work for these reptiles not only for Venezuela but far beyond, given that many of the species occurring in that country are also distributed in Colombia, Brazil and other neighboring countries. And it has become a “classic” of herpetological literature because of its scientific and artistic value (just have a look at the wonderful color paintings!). Unfortunately, plans to publish this book also in Spanish were never realized. Now a new book on the same matter just came on the market, in Spanish. But, and there is a big “but”, it is not the translation of the “Turtles of Venezuela” nor is it something like a second edition. “Venezuela y sus tortugas” (by the same authors in reversed order) is a completely new book. Its format is 23 × 33 cm, it has 184 pages, 129 color and 5 black and white photographs and 23 distribution maps. It is less technical than the first book, still giving scientifically important information, and is written for a broader audience. All 22 turtle species occurring in Venezuela are presented. For each species the common, indigenous and scientific names are given, furthermore general characteristics, the geographic distribution, habitat, feeding, reproduction, use, and conservation status. Tito Barros, Hedelvy Guada, Omar Hernández and Gilson Rivas are among the specialists who updated the information so that it is really up to date which can be seen also from the fact that the bibliography contains an impressive amount of publications that appeared until 2015, bridging the gap of more than 30 years between the publication of the two books. Jorge Carrillo‑Briceño and Marcelo Sanchez‑Villagra contributed an appendix entitled “Turtles of the past” dealing with the (long extinct) species that inhabited Venezuela in prehistoric times. The photographs are not only showing each of the species from different perspectives and in different situations, but also the habitats, “interaction” with man, artwork like stamps, turtle soup labels and tortoiseshell features etc.  No doubt, this new book is updating and perfectly complementing the information given in the first book and can be seen as a “companion volume” to the English classic. But it also stands for its own. For those who are not able to read Spanish at all but are interested in South American turtles it still may be considered a “must have”. This book has all elements to become another “classic”