Life in a Shell: A Physiologist’s View of a Turtle

Trundling along in essentially the same form for some 220 million years, turtles have seen dinosaurs come and go, mammals emerge, and humankind expand its dominion. Is it any wonder the persistent reptile bested the hare? In this engaging book physiologist Donald Jackson shares a lifetime of observation of this curious creature, allowing us a look under the shell of an animal at once so familiar and so strange. Here we discover how the turtle's proverbial slowness helps it survive a long, cold winter under ice. How the shell not only serves as a protective home but also influences such essential functions as buoyancy control, breathing, and surviving remarkably long periods without oxygen, and how many other physiological features help define this unique animal. Jackson offers insight into what exactly it's like to live inside a shell-to carry the heavy carapace on land and in water, to breathe without an expandable ribcage, to have sex with all that body armor intervening. Along the way we also learn something about the process of scientific discovery-how the answer to one question leads to new questions, how a chance observation can change the direction of study, and above all how new research always builds on the previous work of others. A clear and informative exposition of physiological concepts using the turtle as a model organism, the book is as interesting for what it tells us about scientific investigation as it is for its deep and detailed understanding of how the enduring turtle "works."

About the Author :
Donald C. Jackson is Professor Emeritus of Medical Science, Brown University.

Review :
Over 200 million years of existence, turtles have shared the planet with dinosaurs, witnessed the diversification of mammals and seen the spread of humans. Physiologist Donald Jackson conveys his love of the reptile in his book. He explains how its slow movements help it to survive winters under ice and describes how its shell functions as a home, armour and a buoyancy aid. By focusing on the physiology of this one familiar beast, he also reveals how scientific understanding evolves by building on the work of others. Ever wonder what it's like to be a turtle? No one has come closer to finding out than Donald C. Jackson in Life in a Shell: A Physiologist's View of a Turtle, as he delves into the biology and behavior that has allowed the turtle to survive on Earth essentially unchanged for the last 220 million years. Turtle physiologist Jackson has produced a fascinating, informative book on aspects of turtle structure, behavior, and physiology. Even readers with only a minor interest in turtles will find themselves engrossed and locked into the narrative...Most of the text is easy to read and highly entertaining. Anyone interested in turtles will find this a worthwhile addition to his/her reading list.