Sea Turtles : Past and Present

Children's Literature - Children's Literature

About 220 million years ago, proganochelys (a type of prehistoric sea turtle) spent all of their time in the water except to lay eggs. They had big flippers but not as big as the Archelon, which lived 70 million years ago. Today there are five kinds of sea turtles in American waters and they are found along the southeastern coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. One, the leatherback, can weigh up to 800 pounds while the smallest, the Kemp's ridley turtles, are the most threatened due to contamination, humans and natural predators. Turtles have changed very little over the eons and their return to the beaches of their birth to lay new eggs has intrigued scientists. This clearly written introductory nonfiction text is liberally illustrated and also has a glossary, index and references to web sites. A good choice for elementary classrooms and libraries. 2000, Rosen, Ages 8 to 12, $18.60. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot