World Turtle Day!

Welcome person of the internet!

Today is World Turtle Day, did you know?

The purpose of this day is to create awareness and increase knowledge about turtles and tortoises. There is a difference:

Turtle – a reptile that lives mostly in water and that has a hard shell which covers its body.

Tortoise – a kind of turtle that lives on land.

So basically, land dwelling ones are called tortoises and water dwelling are called turtles.

People celebrate this day in many different ways: some dress up as turtles or wear green summer dresses, others save turtles from being killed on roads and others donate money.

So what are some things YOU can do? Well, here are some suggestions:

• If you are looking for a pet, purchase a captive bred animal from a reputable store or breeder. Do not take home a wild turtle as a pet.
• Never release a pet turtle into the wild. Turtles kept in captivity may not have the important nutrients they need to survive through the cold winter. In addition, pet turtles may not be native to your area and should not interbreed with wild turtles.
• Join a local Turtle and Tortoise club to learn more.
• Never remove turtles or tortoises from the wild unless they are sick or injured.
• If a tortoise is crossing a busy street, pick it up and take it in the same direction it was going – if you try to make it go back, it will turn right around again.
• Help keep beaches and other natural habitats clean. Never leave trash and pick up garbage left by others.
• Write letters to legislators asking them to keep sensitive habitat preserved or closed to off road vehicles, and to prevent off shore drilling that can lead to more endangered sea turtle deaths.

Vocabulary

Dwelling – to live in a particular place.

Dress up – to put a costume on (someone).

Purchase – to buy (property, goods, etc., to get (something) by paying money for it.

Captive – captured and kept in a prison, cage, etc.

Bred – to keep and take care of animals or plants in order to produce more animals or plants of a particular kind.

Release – to allow (a person or animal) to leave a jail, cage, prison, etc.

Native – born in a particular place.

Interbreed –

Remove – to move or take (something) away from a place.

Injured – suffering from an injury, physically hurt or harmed.

Habitat – the place or type of place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives or grows

Trash – things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away.

Garbage – synonym of trash.

Legislators – a person who makes laws : a member of a legislature.

Drilling – to make a hole in something with a drill. In this case, for oil in the sea.

Endangered – used to describe a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely.

If you’re interested in finding out more, join their Facebook page!

Have YOU ever helped protect an endangered species?