"The Behavior and Ecology of the Two Amazonian Tortoises, Geochelone carbonaria and Geochelone denticulata in Northwestern Brazil" by Debra Moskovits. University of Chicago (doctoral theseis), 1985. 328 pages including table of contents, tables, charts, and 11 pages of bibliography. 8.5x11 photocopied pages (no cover, hole punching, or index.) $42 without shipping from http://www.il.proquest.com.
This is one of the two books that most of the experienced keepers I have heard from recommend to really 'know' Red-foots. The other is Pritchard's "Turtles of Venezuela". It does not take long to see why.
Moskovits wrote this in the early 1980's as part of her PhD degree, and it is definitely a dissertation rather than a set of field notes or a book designed for keepers. Much of the book centers around describing her research plot in Maraca Brazil, other big segments describe in great detail her methods used, raw data, and so forth. The structure of the book is great for her intended use, but awkward for our use.
A quick overview of the chapter headings and table titles shows what I mean:
- "Phenology of Fruiting Trees in Maraca"
- "Mark and Recapture: Species and Sex ratios"
- "Evidence for Scent Trails in Outdoor Enclosures"
- Table- 'Mean rate of of Progression and Mean Number of Segments Traversed Per Habitat'
- Table- 'Turning Angles (Mean = A and Mean Angular Deviations = AD) in the Paths of Displacesd FD) and Relocated (EX) Tortoises'
This is a book to sit down with when well-armed with coffee, quiet background music, a highlighter, and a notepad and pen in hand. There are incredibly useful pieces of information hidden in here that can well-benefit the average keeper, and even more so for the potential breeder.
Some examples of nuggets of information include:
- Evidence of socialization in tortoises (OK, not so much socialization as 'conspecific behaviors', but even outside of mating season, these guys seem to use scent trails, shared habitats, staying in proximity to certain individuals, etc.)
- Examples of wild vs. captive behaviors. For example, a wild tortoise eats almost all parts of most fruits and small carrion- bones, seeds, etc.- swallowing food whole, rarely using their legs or tearing the food. In captivity, even in large pens in native habitats, they tend to not eat seeds, bones, etc. as much and 'chew' and tear apart the foods more.
- Detailed charts of the climate and habitats the tortoises spend time in, and how much time they spend on hiding, walking, etc. (adult males may rest in a single place for weeks at a time!)
- A fascinating discussion of the benefits of being cold-blooded in a rainforest setting.
- Detailed breakdowns of wild diets.
This is not a 'keeper-friendly' book (with the font, typesetting, and structure, it is barely 'reader-friendly'!), but the wealth of detail it contains is worth the effort if you wish to get deep into this species- especially those from the Venezuela region.
Besides the fact that this book was not written for us, the other big downside is the detail that it is based on one small, almost micro-habitat out of the entire range Red- and Yellow-foots use. Not every word will apply equally to every location the species is found.
I like this book- but part of the reason I do is because it is more like a treasure hunt than reading a 'how to'. Boring paragraphs interspersed with fascinating details- some with interesting implications, others that are just cool to know (like exactly how a jaguar attacks a tortoise, or that in some parts of their range, tortoises are the main food source for jaguars!)
On the other hand, most of the recent Red-foot books that have come out (and been reviewed here) include a lot of her information in them, so if you have read Vinke's 'South American Tortoises', for example, you have gotten the gist of Debra M.'s report.
Still... it IS a classic for Red- and Yellow-foot enthusiasts! Highly recommended if you want to get deeper into these species.
(Reposted and revised from www.turleforum.com by the author)
This is one of the two books that most of the experienced keepers I have heard from recommend to really 'know' Red-foots. The other is Pritchard's "Turtles of Venezuela". It does not take long to see why.
Moskovits wrote this in the early 1980's as part of her PhD degree, and it is definitely a dissertation rather than a set of field notes or a book designed for keepers. Much of the book centers around describing her research plot in Maraca Brazil, other big segments describe in great detail her methods used, raw data, and so forth. The structure of the book is great for her intended use, but awkward for our use.
A quick overview of the chapter headings and table titles shows what I mean:
- "Phenology of Fruiting Trees in Maraca"
- "Mark and Recapture: Species and Sex ratios"
- "Evidence for Scent Trails in Outdoor Enclosures"
- Table- 'Mean rate of of Progression and Mean Number of Segments Traversed Per Habitat'
- Table- 'Turning Angles (Mean = A and Mean Angular Deviations = AD) in the Paths of Displacesd FD) and Relocated (EX) Tortoises'
This is a book to sit down with when well-armed with coffee, quiet background music, a highlighter, and a notepad and pen in hand. There are incredibly useful pieces of information hidden in here that can well-benefit the average keeper, and even more so for the potential breeder.
Some examples of nuggets of information include:
- Evidence of socialization in tortoises (OK, not so much socialization as 'conspecific behaviors', but even outside of mating season, these guys seem to use scent trails, shared habitats, staying in proximity to certain individuals, etc.)
- Examples of wild vs. captive behaviors. For example, a wild tortoise eats almost all parts of most fruits and small carrion- bones, seeds, etc.- swallowing food whole, rarely using their legs or tearing the food. In captivity, even in large pens in native habitats, they tend to not eat seeds, bones, etc. as much and 'chew' and tear apart the foods more.
- Detailed charts of the climate and habitats the tortoises spend time in, and how much time they spend on hiding, walking, etc. (adult males may rest in a single place for weeks at a time!)
- A fascinating discussion of the benefits of being cold-blooded in a rainforest setting.
- Detailed breakdowns of wild diets.
This is not a 'keeper-friendly' book (with the font, typesetting, and structure, it is barely 'reader-friendly'!), but the wealth of detail it contains is worth the effort if you wish to get deep into this species- especially those from the Venezuela region.
Besides the fact that this book was not written for us, the other big downside is the detail that it is based on one small, almost micro-habitat out of the entire range Red- and Yellow-foots use. Not every word will apply equally to every location the species is found.
I like this book- but part of the reason I do is because it is more like a treasure hunt than reading a 'how to'. Boring paragraphs interspersed with fascinating details- some with interesting implications, others that are just cool to know (like exactly how a jaguar attacks a tortoise, or that in some parts of their range, tortoises are the main food source for jaguars!)
On the other hand, most of the recent Red-foot books that have come out (and been reviewed here) include a lot of her information in them, so if you have read Vinke's 'South American Tortoises', for example, you have gotten the gist of Debra M.'s report.
Still... it IS a classic for Red- and Yellow-foot enthusiasts! Highly recommended if you want to get deeper into these species.
(Reposted and revised from www.turleforum.com by the author)
