World Turtle Day May 23, 2025

World Turtle Day

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

May 23, 2018Everybody loves World Turtle Day
May 23, 2019Come out of your shell for World Turtle Day
May 23, 2020Bask in the glow—It s World Turtle Day
May 23, 2021A palace for the public
May 23, 2022World Turtle Day
May 23, 2023World Turtle Day
May 23, 2026World Turtle Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 25, 2022Brown bears, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Jul 11, 2023World Population Day
Sep 29, 2023Mid-Autumn Festival
May 30, 2023Playa del Amor, Marietas Islands, Mexico
May 14, 2019Cannes, France, in the spotlight
May 6, 2021Why you should thank a nurse today
May 2, 2019Making it work—in Norway
Dec 12, 2020What are we looking at?
Oct 26, 2022Brocken spectre in Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria
Oct 30, 2022Polar Bear Week
Mar 22, 2022World Water Day
Nov 29, 2025Red deer stag in De Hoge Veluwe National Park, Netherlands
Oct 8, 2025World Octopus Day
Jan 18, 2026White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Jan 8, 2022American bison
Oct 17, 2023Spreadsheet Day
Mar 11, 2020Anybody out there?
Jun 26, 2023Château de Villandry, France
Dec 22, 2020A holiday beacon of light
Jun 24, 2018The Twin Cities celebrate Pride
Jun 9, 2026Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy
May 2, 2023Jöriseen lakes in the Silvretta Alps, Switzerland
Apr 21, 2022First day of summer
Jan 31, 2018Sunbeams across Tartu County, Estonia
Aug 29, 2021Notes from an underground lake
Sep 12, 2018A cutting-edge art gallery opens in Paris
Jul 8, 2023Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel in Arkansas
Oct 28, 2024Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Mar 26, 2021The wild heart of Tasmania
Apr 9, 2018The Lena Delta Wildlife Reserve in Siberia, Russia