World Turtle Day May 23, 2025

No need to hurry, because today marks the 25th anniversary of World Turtle Day. Turtles and tortoises thrive in a variety of environments and are linked to wisdom and perseverance. All tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. While turtles are smaller and built for swimming, tortoises are larger, heavier and adapted for life on land. The American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) established World Turtle Day to raise awareness and protection efforts on May 23 each year. ATR has helped rehabilitate, rescue and rehome around 4,000 turtles and tortoises, working to protect them and their disappearing habitats.

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Today in History

Lets protect our turtles
Turtle-y nice day for a swim

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Apr. 26, 2025Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario
Jan. 4, 2024Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
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Oct. 27, 2024Polar Bear Week
May 15, 2024The Blue City of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Jun. 7, 2024World Oceans Day
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Feb. 20, 2026Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Feb. 16, 2024Great Backyard Bird Count
Aug. 4, 2024Friendship Day
May 14, 2025Porto Flavia, Sulcis-Iglesiente, Sardinia, Italy
Postcard from the Canadian Rockies
Feb. 4, 2025Golden Bridge, Bà Nà Hills, Da Nang, Vietnam
Farewell, Ma’am
Feb. 17, 2025Coll dAres, Catalan Pyrenees
Apr. 14, 2024Bowling Ball Beach, California, USA
Jun. 9, 2024Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Navarra, Spain
Our forgotten forests
Sequoias of the sea
Mar. 26, 2026Logan Creek Suspension Bridge, West Coast Trail, British Columbia
Unbe-leaf-able
Sep. 9, 2025A female Eurasian red squirrel, Switzerland
Aug. 12, 2025World Elephant Day
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Apr. 4, 2024Red lechwe, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Mar. 16, 2024Giant panda, Chengdu, China
Locals know this place simply as ‘the Met’
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