ARCHIE CARR
Name: Archie Carr
Born: 16 June 1909
Died: 21 may 1987
Archie Carr (June 16, 1909-May 21, 1987) was a Professor of Zoology at the
University of Florida and a pioneering conservationist.
He was the son of a Presbyterian pastor and spent his growing up years in Mobile,
Alabama, Fort Worth, Texas and Savannah, Georgia. He studied zoology at the
University of Florida, eventually specializing in herpetology. He further
refined that interest to the study of turtles and eventually became one of the
world's foremost authorities on sea turtles.
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 the Okefenokee Swamp in
canoes 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). 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, the Dr. Archie Carr Wildlife Refuge was
estalished in Costa Rica in his memory.
Carr's grandson, Archie Carr III, was a well known conservationist, who at one
time headed the New York Zoological Society (now known as the Wildlife
Conservation Society); Carr III was instrumental in establishing the Cockscomb
Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize.
Most recently, a book about Archie Carr entitled The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles:
Archie Carr and the Origins of Conservation was published by Oxford University
Press. This book was written by Frederick R. Davis, Assistant Professor of
History at the Florida State University.
Name: Archie Carr
Born: 16 June 1909
Died: 21 may 1987
Archie Carr (June 16, 1909-May 21, 1987) was a Professor of Zoology at the
University of Florida and a pioneering conservationist.
He was the son of a Presbyterian pastor and spent his growing up years in Mobile,
Alabama, Fort Worth, Texas and Savannah, Georgia. He studied zoology at the
University of Florida, eventually specializing in herpetology. He further
refined that interest to the study of turtles and eventually became one of the
world's foremost authorities on sea turtles.
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 the Okefenokee Swamp in
canoes 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). 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, the Dr. Archie Carr Wildlife Refuge was
estalished in Costa Rica in his memory.
Carr's grandson, Archie Carr III, was a well known conservationist, who at one
time headed the New York Zoological Society (now known as the Wildlife
Conservation Society); Carr III was instrumental in establishing the Cockscomb
Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize.
Most recently, a book about Archie Carr entitled The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles:
Archie Carr and the Origins of Conservation was published by Oxford University
Press. This book was written by Frederick R. Davis, Assistant Professor of
History at the Florida State University.