https://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Newshttps://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/News/celebrating-world-turtle-day-20192Education and AwarenessThu, 23 May 2019 08:00:00 GMT

May 23 is World Turtle Day.

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Sadly, an armored shell can’t protect against all dangers. Worldwide, <a href="http://images.turtleconservancy.org/documents/2017/crm-7-checklist-atlas-v8-2017.pdf" target="_blank"><img alt="link opens in new window" src="https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Portals/0/Images/Shared/new-window-icon.gif" />over half of all species</a> of turtles and tortoises may be facing extinction in the near future.</p> <p>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 <a href="https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Submitting-Data" target="_blank"><img alt="link opens in new window" src="https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Portals/0/Images/Shared/new-window-icon.gif" />Online Field Survey Form</a>.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Western pond turtles sun themselves on a winter's afternoon" src="https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Portals/0/Images/BDB/CNDDB/News/Feature_Days/Turtle_Day_c-Ryan-Elliott.jpg" style="width: 100%;" /><br /> <span style="font-size:11px;">Western pond turtles (a CA Species of Special Concern) sun themselves on a winter’s afternoon.</span></p>