BOOKS
Isle Pages
New book releases from Hawaii authors
"The Book of Honu"
By Peter Bennett and Ursula Keuper-Bennett
University of Hawaii Press / $18.95
This informative book offers all you need to know (and perhaps more) about the Hawaiian green sea turtle. The authors' first encounter with a honu was off of Maui, and this led to a quest to learn more about the animal -- and ultimately to write this book. They offer hints as to where turtles can be observed, as well as tips on safety for both the viewers and the turtles. They also devised a method of identifying the turtles they observed, using the unique scale patterns on their heads.
There are sections on the anatomy of the turtles, as well as on mating and egg-laying. The authors also discuss threats to the animals, both human and nonhuman, including the fibropapilloma tumors that seem to afflict so many of the turtles they observed.