Turtles are cool. Blanding’s turtle is a medium-sized reptile found mostly in the Great Lakes region and a pocket of New England. Very mobile on land and in the water, this turtle eats crustaceans, insects and fish, as well as plants. Its lifespan rivals that of humans. A Blanding’s turtle can live up to 80 years and remains active and hearty throughout its long life. You can always tell a Blanding’s turtle by the bright yellow streak under its chin and neck. Photo of a young Blanding’s turtle by Jessica Bolser, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
One of the best things about getting outdoors is seeing wildlife. We can admire their uniqueness and imagine their lives. How high can a bluebird fly? Do deer get sad in the rain? What do alligators eat? How nervous is that turtle right now? These are the questions we ask ourselves on World Animal Day. Discover more fascinating wildlife stories at Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge. Photo courtesy of Mickey Foster, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer.
Happy World Turtle Day! 🐢
Started in 2000, World Turtle Day aims to increase the public’s knowledge about turtles and tortoises. At home wherever they roam, turtles are some of the most diverse creatures – over 300 turtle species exist with 57 species in the U.S., and they’re found on every continent except Antarctica. And they play a vital role in the ecosystem, helping spread seeds on the land and supporting other marine life in the sea. On public lands across the country, we are working to protect turtle habitat and monitor turtle nests and hatchings.
It’s World Sea Turtle Day – a perfect chance to share this video of a baby sea turtle release. This release of Kemp’s ridley hatchings from Padre Island National Seashore in Texas is just one example of how the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are aiding the recovery of these magnificent animals. Sea turtles can live for decades and swim thousands of miles in their lifetimes. Kemp’s ridley are small, but leatherback turtles can weigh in at over 1,000 pounds. Video by National Park Service.
It’s World Turtle Day! From a tiny baby bog turtle to a massive leatherback, turtles come in many shapes and sizes. Found gliding through the open ocean or slowly trudging over desert plains, they are fascinating creatures. Because of environmental threats, several species are endangered and need our help. Video of a baby turtle running for the surf by Dry Tortugas National Park.
Pictured here is the bog turtle – North America’s tiniest turtle! This turtle can be found in the Appalachian Mountain bogs, one of the nation’s most biodiverse, yet rarest and most imperiled habitats. Roughly 90 percent of the area’s mountain bogs that once existed have been lost, making protection critical. That’s why the President’s budget calls for funding to conserve places like this as part of full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. http://on.doi.gov/23Ljo4L 🐢
Photo by Rosie Walunas, USFWS.
Mosquitoes bugging you? You’re not the only one. Check out this irritated turtle’s response. 🐢
You’re going to want to see these amazing summer pics of America’s public lands: http://on.doi.gov/1fCdezf
Located on the southern coast of Virginia, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge provides feeding and resting habitat for migratory birds. The usfws refuge contains over 9,250 acres, situated on a thin strip of coastline typical of barrier islands found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Habitats include beach, dunes, woodland, farm fields and freshwater marsh. Photo by Tyrone Singletary (www.sharetheexperience.org).
A lightning strike illuminates Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. This photo was taken a few years ago from the South Rim of the canyon by the Watchtower. Photo by Travis Roe (www.sharetheexperience.org).
Kara Wall snapped this cute pic of two baby sea turtles snuggling at Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida. Five different types of sea turtles are found in the waters of south Florida, and Dry Tortugas is famous for the abundance of sea turtles that annually nest in the area. Photo from www.sharetheexperience.org.
These two cuddly fox kits were spotted at Acadia National Park in Maine. National Park Service photo.
A gem in America’s Pacific Northwest is the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon. Called an amazing treasure, Cascade Siskiyou covers more than 62,000 acres and is best known for the unique landscapes created by the convergence of species from the high deserts of the Northern Great Basin to the temperate rain forests of the Pacific Coast. Photo by Bob Wick, mypubliclands.
Here’s your cute moment for the day: A baby desert tortoise hatches from its egg. Found north and west of the Colorado River in the Mojave Desert in California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, the desert tortoise is one of most elusive inhabitants of the desert, spending up to 95 percent of its life underground. With domed shell and elephant-like legs, it is easily distinguishable from its turtle cousins. Photo by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist K. Kristina Drake.
Happy World Turtle Day! Meet the bog turtle. It is one of the smallest, rarest turtles in North America. Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Pennsylvania was established in part to protect the federally threatened bog turtle, which can be found in wetlands throughout the valley. Due to their listed status, refuge public use areas are located away from sensitive bog turtle habitats.
See what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is doing to protect this little one and its bog wetland habitat: http://1.usa.gov/1o6jyRl
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