May 23 is World Turtle Day.
Met a time traveler recently? They never seem to be in a hurry. Maybe that’s because their body plan has barely changed in the past 200 million years.
Turtles are humbling reminders of our place in history. In the blip of time that humans have existed, many cultures have been inspired to include turtles in their art and legends.
Sadly, an armored shell can’t protect against all dangers. Worldwide, 
over half of all species of turtles and tortoises may be facing extinction in the near future.
Help us document and protect these ancient survivors by submitting your records of western pond turtle, desert tortoise, Sonoran mud turtle, and green sea turtle through our Online Field Survey Form.
Western pond turtles (a CA Species of Special Concern) sun themselves on a winter’s afternoon.