- Archie Carr
Infobox scientist
name = Dr. Archie Carr
image_size = 150px
birth_date =June 16 ,1909
birth_place =
death_date =May 21 ,1987
nationality =United States
field =Zoology
work_institutions =University of Florida
alma_mater =University of Florida
doctoral_advisor =
doctoral_students =
known_for = One of the world's foremost authorities onsea turtle s
prizes =Archie Fairly Carr, Jr. (
June 16 ,1909 –May 21 ,1987 ) was aProfessor ofZoology at theUniversity of Florida , anecologist and a pioneering conservationist. In 1987 he was awarded theEminent Ecologist Award by theEcological Society of America .Biography
Carr was the son of a
Presbyterian pastor and spent his growing up years inMobile, Alabama ,Fort Worth, Texas andSavannah, Georgia . He studied zoology at the University of Florida, eventually specializing inherpetology . He further refined that interest to the study ofturtle s and eventually became one of the world's foremost authorities onsea turtle s. He was married toMarjorie Harris Carr a conservationist herself.He wrote numerous books and articles, including "Ulendo: Travels of a Naturalist in and out of Africa", "High Jungles and Low", "So Excellent a Fishe" (about his green turtles), "The Windward Road" and several Time-Life books such as "The Everglades" and "The Reptiles". He was also the author of the "Handbook of Turtles", and with Coleman J. Goin, "Guide to the Reptiles, Amphibians and Freshwater Fishes of Florida". While a serious scientific and nature writer, he also had a remarkable sense of humor, which led him to publish the parody of scientific taxonomic keys - his "A Subjective Key to the Fishes of Alachua County, Florida", affectionately known as the "Carr Key".
Carr became a bit of a legend at the University of Florida and students vied with one another to take his Community Ecology course in which they were involved in several major and minor field trips around northern
Florida and southern Georgia. Listening to Dr. Carr talk about the sand pine scrub near Ocala or his comments as he guided students through theOkefenokee Swamp incanoe s was a great privilege.Carr was also known for his efforts in conservation, especially for sea turtles. He was a co-founder of the
Caribbean Conservation Corporation , which helps to save and monitor sea turtles in Tortuguero,Costa Rica . He was often joined in his conservation work by his wife Marjorie (who was a major advocate for conservation in her own right).Legacy
*The
Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge , which covers the beaches from Melbourne Beach south to Wabasso Beach was set up in 1994 in honor of his efforts.
*In 1994, theDr. Archie Carr Wildlife Refuge was established inCosta Rica in his memory.
*Carr's son,Archie Carr III , is a well known conservationist, who coordinated Central American programs for theNew York Zoological Society (now known as theWildlife Conservation Society ); Carr III was instrumental in establishing theCockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize.
*A book about Archie Carr entitled "The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles: Archie Carr and the Origins of Conservation" was recently published by Oxford University Press. This book was written by Frederick R. Davis, Assistant Professor of History at the Florida State University.References
* Carr, Archie (Marjorie Carr Ed.), "A Naturalist in Florida" (ISBN 0-300-05589-7)
* Carr, Archie, "The Windward Road" (ISBN 0-8130-0639-2, 1979 edition)
*http://www.fsu.edu/~history/staff/davis.html
*Davis, Frederick R. "The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles" (ISBN 0-195-31077-2)
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