World Turtle Day May 23, 2025

No need to hurry, because today marks the 25th anniversary of World Turtle Day. Turtles and tortoises thrive in a variety of environments and are linked to wisdom and perseverance. All tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. While turtles are smaller and built for swimming, tortoises are larger, heavier and adapted for life on land. The American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) established World Turtle Day to raise awareness and protection efforts on May 23 each year. ATR has helped rehabilitate, rescue and rehome around 4,000 turtles and tortoises, working to protect them and their disappearing habitats.

© Westend61/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Lets protect our turtles
Turtle-y nice day for a swim

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec. 26, 2023Happy Boxing Day!
Apr. 30, 2025International Jazz Day
Jul. 4, 2025Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower
The rivers run through us
Three petals and three leaves
Oct. 11, 2024Celtic Colours International Festival
Dec. 15, 2023SantaPark, Lapland, Finland
Aug. 4, 2024Friendship Day
Where two continents meet
Feb. 25, 2025Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, United States
Sep. 21, 2025Sea Otter Awareness Week
The oldest way to fly
Jan. 30, 2025Vancouver International Boat Show
Aug. 29, 2025Aerial view of Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
Jul. 27, 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Oct. 13, 2025Happy Thanksgiving!
Sep. 6, 2025Rufous hummingbird
Trusty water-shifters
Jul. 22, 2025Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States
A sea of humanity
Apr. 23, 2025Shakespeare Day
Desert daggers?
Sep. 20, 2024Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, USA
Oct. 15, 2023European hedgehog
Festive foliage in the garden
Aug. 31, 2024Rocks and sand in the Sahara, Algeria
Feb. 12, 2024Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise, Isabela Island
Dare to delve into this dense swamp
Mar. 23, 2025World Meteorological Day
Part science experiment, part public park