Western Indian Ocean Tortoises

Description:

The islands of the Western Indian ocean (Madagascar and the small island groups of the Seychelles, Mascarenes Comoros) are home to a remarkable diversity of animals and plants. Among the most notable are the tortoises, including some of the world’s largest, smallest and rarest species. historically, at least ten species were present in the islands buttoday only five survive. This book reviews all of the information on the species, drawing together the historical records (many previously unpublished) including how humans

decimated the tortoise populations as a source of food for long sea voyages, along with the latest information on palaeontology, evolution and ecology, including from a molecular genetics perspective. The conservation status of each species is described, as are the current

efforts to restore tortoises to their central position in the ecology of these islands. The volume includes contributions from twelve expert authors from the UK, France, USA, Canada and Madagascar