World Turtle Day is an annual celebration sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue since 2000, with an aim to bring attention and increase knowledge about turtles and tortoises. It also encourages people to take action for the help and survival of the turtles and tortoise. World turtle day is an international event celebrated on every 23 May across the globe. This year is the 23rd celebration of World Turtle Day
American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) is a non-profit organization created in 1990 by the Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson husband and wife team which rescues and rehabilitates all tortoise and turtle species. ATR has placed approximately 4,000 tortoises and turtles in care homes since 1990. The ATR provides law enforcements for persons with sick, neglected, or abandoned turtles when undersized or an enforced turtle are confiscated and offers helpful information.
About Turtles
Turtles are reptiles that are part of the Testudines order. They are distinguished by their vertebrate shell which grows out of the ribs and serves as an animal shield. Turtles are the cold-blooded animals meaning that their internal temperature varies depending on the ambient temperature. However, due to its high metabolic rate, some turtles have a greater temperature than their surroundings – for example, sea tortoises.
They are one oldest reptile groups and the one of the most primitive. Turtles have evolved millions of year ago and are found in various climatic conditions all over the world. Tortoises are highly adaptive and can be found on all continents except Antarctica. Some populations of turtles live in southeastern North America and South Asia. Habitat depletion is one of the biggest challenges that tortoises face, which is raising their population.
Note:- Every year American Tortoise Rescue designate same theme “Protecting turtles and tortoise around the world”
Purpose of Celebrating World Turtle Day
The goal of celebrating World Turtle Day is to promote the survival of habitats and protection of turtles and tortoises around the world, also to make people aware about the disappearance of turtles and tortoises.
About 70% of the tortoises that are alive today are at risk. This includes seven species of sea turtles (including, among others, the Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback Sea Turtles, Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles). It also includes ground turtles including the Radiated Tortoise, the Saw-jawed Terrapin, the Ploughshare Tortoise, the Philippine Turtles Pond and the Flattened Musk Turtle, the Yellow Tortoise, the McCords Box Turtle and the Yellow Mud Turtle.
Some Facts about turtle
- The top shell of the turtle is called the carapace and the lower shell is known as plastron.
- Turtle Shell is a part of the skeleton which is made up of over 50 bones including turtle rib cage and spine. It is just like our bones.
- Some turtles are carnivores; some are herbivores and some omnivores (a mixture of two!). Most baby tortoises begin to live as carnivores but evolve as they mature to eat more plants.
- These creatures are cold-blooded and have an incredibly long life span. Tu’i Malila, of Tonga Island, the oldest turtle ever recorded, passed away at the grand old age of 188!
- The turtle are the oldest reptile date back to the time of dinosaurs about over 200 million years ago.
- Not all the turtle species can hide their head in shell.
Swikriti Dandotia
