World Turtle Day seeks to raise awareness of turtles and help educate the public on how to save the endangered marine turtles.
Turtle facts
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1. On Sept. 14, 1968 the Soviet Union launched two Horsfield tortoises into space. Their capsule splashed down a week later in the Indian Ocean; the tortoises were unharmed.
2. Alligator snapping turtles trick prey with their worm-like tongues, causing fish to swim right into their mouths.
3. Turtles don’t have ears.
4. They’ve been around almost as long as the dinosaurs, dating back to 220 million years ago.
5. Jonathan the tortoise is approximately 184 years old. He is the oldest known living tortoise and is thought to have hatched in 1832.
6. The largest species of turtle is the leatherback sea turtle. It can weigh between 600-1,500 lbs.
7. A turtle’s shell is made up of more than 60 pieces of bone; it has nerve endings and can feel pain.
8. Sand temperature affects the gender of turtles still in their eggs. Warmer sand tends to yield female turtles, and colder sand leads to more male turtles.
9. There are seven species of marine turtles, and they are all endangered. Six of the marine turtle species are found in U.S. waters.
Turtle vs. tortoise
Turtles spend most of their lives in water, while tortoises spend the majority of their lives on land. Turtles have adapted to life in the water with webbed feet, whereas tortoises have stumpy feet for walking on land.
Crime-fighting turtles
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” will be in theaters June 3.
Help save the turtles
“The biggest thing people can do to make a difference is not buy turtles from pet stores because there are so many available for adoption,” co-founder of American Tortoise Rescue, Susan Tellem, said.
Don’t leave trash on beaches and help clean up areas in your neighborhood if you know turtles live there.
Reduce your use of plastic as much as possible and cut the plastic rings that soda cans come in.
Watch the video below to see how plastic affects the environment.
Wash your hands