Let’s Shellebrate®! World Turtle Day® is May 23, 2024 sponsored by the nonprofit American Tortoise Rescue. World Turtle Day was created as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world.
American Tortoise Rescue is a nonprofit organization established 34 years ago for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle. Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson, founders of ATR and World Turtle Day, advocate humane treatment of all animals, including reptiles. Since 1990, ATR has placed about 4,000 tortoises and turtles in caring homes. ATR assists law enforcement when undersize or endangered turtles are confiscated and provides helpful information and referrals to persons with sick, neglected or abandoned turtles.
Turtle Tips
- Never Buy a tortoise or turtle from a pet shop, as it increases demand from the wild.
- Report the Sale of any turtle of tortoise of any kind if it’s less than 4 inches long. This is illegal throughout the United States.
- Report Cruelty or Illegal Sales of turtles and tortoises to your local animal control agency.
- Never Remove turtles or tortoises from the wild unless they are sick or injured.
- Do Pick Up a tortoise or turtle if you see it crossing a busy street, ferry it to safety and send it in the same direction it was going. If you try to turn it around, the turtle/tortoise is likely to turn right around and try to resume its journey.
Fun Facts about Turtles
- All Tortoises are Turtles, But Not All Turtles are Tortoises. Tortoises are a sub-group of turtles, so they are all technically turtles. However some key differences mean that not all turtles can be considered tortoises. Have we confused you yet?!
- Tortoises are an Ancient Species. Tortoises have been around for over 230 million years – longer than lizards, birds, mammals, crocodiles and snakes. In fact, turtles coexisted with dinosaurs and survived the conditions that made dinosaurs extinct!
- They Can Live a Very Long Time. Some turtles and tortoises can live to over 100 years old – and beyond! One such tortoise was Harriet, who is said to have originally been found and looked after by Charles Darwin from 1835 and later arrived at Australia Zoo in Queensland. She died there in 2006 and was believed to have been 175 at the time.
- They Can Live Almost Anywhere. Turtles can live in most climates that are warm enough for them to breed. They live on every single continent except Antarctica!
- Turtle Shells are Complex. A turtle shell contains around 50 to 60 interconnected bones. The shell is actually a part of the turtles’ spine and it cannot come off.
- A Group of Tortoises is Called a Creep. The main collective noun for turtles on the other hand is a bale. However, most turtles and tortoises are loners who prefer their own company.
- The Scales on a Tortoise Shell are Known as Scutes. The hard scales that make up the outer shell of a tortoise are made of the same keratin as human fingernails. This protects against injury, damage and infection.
- The Color of a Tortoise’s Shell Indicates Origin. A lighter shell indicates that a tortoise originally came from a warmer country. The lightest known shade means that the tortoise originates from the southern part of the Sahara Desert.
- Turtles Can Hold Their Breath for a Good While. Sea turtles can hold their breath for as long as seven hours when they are resting during the winter. Tortoises and turtles empty their lungs before going back into their shell and can last for some time without coming out for oxygen. If they sense a threat, they can often be heard exhaling in preparation for going into their shell.
- It’s Not Easy to Tell Their Sex. It’s not as simple as you might think to tell the sex of a tortoise! It’s often only possible to tell when they reach a particular size, which can vary depending on the breed. The plastron (the bottom shell) is usually the easiest way to differentiate; it tends to be flatter for females and more curved for males. Generally speaking, male tortoises will be larger than their female counterparts (although this is not always the case). Males also tend to have longer tails.
- They Smell With Their Throats. Turtles can smell very well both on land and in water. As is common with reptiles in general, they use the roof of their mouth to smell. This is where their vomeronasal organ (otherwise known as the Jacobson’s Organ) is located. They use it to pump air through the nose and around the mouth.
- Turtles Can Feel Through Their Shell. Tortoises and turtles have nerve endings in their shells so they can feel when they are touched there.
- There are More than 350 Different Species of Turtle. The most common species of turtle in British waters is the leatherback. They are so-called because of their leathery shell which is unlike other more boney turtle shells.
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