Wildlife - Aldabra giant tortoise, Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles, only 120 000 giant tortoises left living on Aldabara Atoll. Jeremy Jowell Africapictures.net/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afrphotos003994
When was the last time turtles crossed your mind? If you stretch it could be when Michael Bay said he was going to make changes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or it could be when you got sent the link to the zombie kid video. World Turtle Day is the day to change that – make you actually think about the actual animals.
World Turtle Day was started in 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue as a day to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and encourage action to help them survive and thrive.
I have always had a soft spot in my heart for turtles because growing up I was lucky enough to have one. My brother and I would always take the desert tortoise named Flash to school for show and tell, a huge hit among class mates. Flash actually lived and still lives in my Grandmother’s backyard and has done so much longer than I’ve been around. I hope Flash continues to live for years to come.
After all they can have long life spans.
Turtles have been around on Earth for about 200 million years. There is a Giant Land Tortoise, named Jonathan, who is the world record holder for the oldest living animal at 176 yrs old. With habitats disappearing around the world some experts predict the disappearance of the creatures within 50 years unless they get help. Think World Turtle Day.
So take some time today to think about the turtles in your life and around the world and what can be done to help. If turtles have taught us anything it is that if they are put on a steady path it they will come out on top of the race.
To see more pictures of Turtles of all shapes and sizes check out Newscom.
Zoopolis 500 - probably the world's slowest race! While the Indianapolis 500 is the undisputed main event in America's Circle City, it's probably not as fun as the Zoopolis 500, a turtle race preceding the big motor race. Kids and their families look forward to the Zoopolis 500 race, every year, because even though it lacks the speed of the Indianapolis 500, racers give it their all to put on a good show. Yesterday, the Indianapolis Zoo hosted the 30th annual Zoopolis 500, featuring five radiated turtles competing for the best prize they could wish for - a big plate of delicious fruit. Competitors were named after IndyCar drivers Dan Wheldon, Simona De Silvestro, Alex Tagliani, Ed Carpenter and Scott Dixon. The race flag went down at 11.30, and as you can imagine, the turtles were off to a pretty slow start, ignoring the excitement and cheering that went on around them. They even went the wrong way a few times, but managed to get back on track with the help of zoo keepers. IndyCar legend Tony Kanaan, who acted as Grand Marshall for the event, tried to give Simona an edge by placing some fruit in front of her, but the tortoise just stopped for a bite. In the end, it was Dan who crossed the finish line first and got to feast on the fruit. WENN.com/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: wennoddpix052040
o is a staggering 3,000 times bigger. The hatchling weighed just 87 grams when it was born and wi take 30 years to get to the same size as its mother, who is a massive 256 kilograms.Keepers wi not know if it is male or female for several years so have given it the unisex name NJ. The tortoise - who is barely the size of its mums foot - can expect to live to 150 years. Solent News / Splash News/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: spnphotosthree675023
Two Aldabra giant tortoises fight for a carrot during feeding time at the Singapore Zoo September 6, 2011. The Aldabra giant tortoise, from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, are the second largest species of tortoises on Earth and can weigh more than five times the weight of an average human being, according to the Singapore Zoo. DAVID LOH/REUTERS/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: rtrlfour769362
Local and foreign tourists release sea turtle hatchlings at a beach in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, 21 April 2012. The turtle conservation efforts in Kuta have been conducted since 2002 to protect sea turtles that came there for laying eggs. MADE NAGI/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: epaphotos393880
If you fancy dressing up your dog for Halloween, Animal Planet has designed a whole host of costumes for your pet pooch. Popular outfits, available at www.partycity.com, include firefighter, prisoner and pirate looks. The company donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Animal Planet product to animal-friendly organizations like Reach Out Act Respond for Animals (R.O.A.R.). WENN.com/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: wennoddpix054540
Sixty-one-year old Galapagos tortoise Hugo is sprayed with water to help him cool down at the Australian Reptile Park in Sydney, Australia, 04 January 2012. Australians have been asked to heed safety advice from authorities as much of the country swelters through what is already shaping up to be a record-breaking heatwave. TRACEY NEARMY/EPA/Newscom. FInd it on Newscom.com: epaphotos236943
Eight four-day old African spurred tortoises, Geochelone sulcata, that have been place on the back of their mother in their enclosure in Nyiregyhaza Animal Park in Nyiregyhaza, 226 km east of Budapest, Hungary, 27 September 2011. This was the first time that offspring of an African spurred tortoise were born in this zoo. The eight babies hatched after 115 days, they are 5.5 cms long and weigh 25 grams. Spurred tortoise is the largest species of land tortoises in Africa, the weight of an adult animal may reach 80 kgs. Attila Balazs/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: epaphotos138620
A reef scene with a green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas and schooling jacks. Sipidan, Malaysia. David Fleetham - VWPics/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: dbcstock064077
Turtle hatching. Album / Juan Manuel Borrero/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: apaphotos312189
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Tags: baby turtles, Land Turtles, sea turtles, teenage mutant ninja turtles, Tortoises, World Turtle Day