June 16 - World Sea Turtle Day

Posted on June 16, 2018

There are so many things we can talk about on a day like World Sea Turtle Day. What these marine reptiles look like, how they behave, where they live, what they eat, dangers they face...

That last one is depressing, because pretty much all animals face as their #1 enemy...US! We humans endanger most of the critters on this planet through our land-grabbing, pollution-spewing, climate-changing agriculture and industry.

Here are some specific human-caused problems endangered sea turtles face:

Hunting - people kill them for eggs, meat, skin, and shells

Beach erosion and beach activities - since sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches, and eventually sea turtle hatchlings cross the beaches to get to the water, what we do to and on beaches really matters!

• Watch for and follow signs telling you to stay away from certain portions of the beach.
• Fill in any holes you make at the beach.
• Remove obstacles like beach chairs, toys, and trash.
• Follow lighting guidelines.
• Don't mess with eggs or hatchlings. Yeah, I get it - I know that they're cute - but they're also endangered. They need us to leave them alone more than we need to EACH have our own personal photos of hatchlings.

Bright lights - baby sea turtles are programmed by evolution to crawl toward a bright light, since the only bright light in the night sky waaaaaay back when they evolved was the moon; artificial lights often confuse hatchlings into crawling towards streets and stores.

Floating plastic bags and other trash - leatherback turtles eat mostly jellyfish - and unfortunately cannot tell the difference between a plastic bag and a jelly!

If you live near a beach, there is a lot you can do to help sea turtles. If you live inland, you can still send money to the World Wildlife Fund or some other organization.

Also on this date:

Apache leader Geronimo's birthday 

Bloomsday in Ireland

Anniversary of the first Ladies' Day at a baseball game

Anniversary of British universities being open to people of all faiths (hooray for freedom of religion!)

International Day of the African Child

Fudge Day

World Juggling Day

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• June holidays

• June birthdays

• Historical anniversaries in June

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• July holidays
• July birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in July
  

May 23, 2010

Happy World Turtle Day!

This is a day to learn about and appreciate turtles and tortoises—and The Humane Society and American Tortoise Rescue hope you will help them in their conservation efforts, too.

Some people dress up like turtles today, some work on projects such as rescuing tortoises stranded on highways, and some participate in educational events. The Humane Society has a list of 12 Things to Do for Turtles and Tortoises.

Many conservationists are against making pets out of turtles, pointing out that a lot of turtles die as they are collected in nature for the pet trade, and that pet turtles are often difficult to care for and therefore likely to die early. The Humane Society urges us to enjoy turtles and tortoises in the wild rather than making them pets.

Another group working to help turtles (in this case, sea turtles) is the Caribbean Conservation Corporation. Check out the CCC's Turtle Tides kid section, with tons of information and games, too! And here is a YouTube video about Loggerhead turtles.

Did you know...?

• The earliest known turtles lived 215 million years ago. As a group, turtles are even more ancient than snakes and lizards, evolving at around the same time as the first dinosaurs.

• Generally, turtles who live on land are called tortoises.

• Humans often get salmonella poisoning from casual contact with turtles, which is why the sale of turtles under 4 inches long is illegal in the U.S. Why do so many stores still sell turtles under 4 inches long? Apparently stores exploit a loophole that allows sales “for educational purposes.”

(I've had salmonella. Believe me, you don't want it!!!)

Celebrate Turtles and Tortoises!

• Do some turtle crafts from How Stuff Works. Or how about making a CD turtle magnet or a flowerpot turtle sculpture?

• A Florida wildlife organization offers a free online Sea Turtle Fun Pack that includes coloring sheets and puzzles.

• Learn to draw cartoon turtles with a step-by-step lesson.

November 25, 2009

Independence Day in Suriname

On this date in 1975, Suriname became a fully independent country.

Random Interesting Facts

• Suriname is the smallest independent nation in South America, but it is more than four times larger than the country that ruled it for centuries, the Netherlands.

Although Suriname is much bigger in area than its colonial ruler, its population is much smaller. The Netherlands has a population of about 16 million people, and Suriname has fewer than half a million people.

1. If Suriname has an area of 163,821 square kilometers and 472,000 people...
and the Netherlands has an area of 41,526 square km and 16,558,674 people...
what is the population density of each nation?

• Suriname is one of the few places in the world that has a (Muslim) mosque and a (Jewish) synagogue next to each other. This is in the capital city of Parmaribo, and the mosque and synagogue often shares a parking lot that lies between them.

2. What is another place in the world that has a mosque next to a synagogue?
a. Australia
b. Bulgaria
c. France

• According to Wikipedia, about a quarter of the population lives on about $2 (U.S. dollars) a day.

3. How much does it cost to survive in most cities in the U.S.?

• Suriname lacks a true national culture but instead is very ethnically diverse. The capital, Paramaribo, has a mixture that includes Caribbean natives, black people descended from former slaves, Dutch and English people descended from former colonizers, and Indonesian people. (Indonesia was also once a Dutch colony.)

4. Which of these languages is Suriname's official language?
a. English
b. Arawakan
c. Hindi
d. Dutch

• Galibi Nature Reserve is famous for its sea turtles, which come to shore to nest in the springtime.

5. Sand temperature of the beaches where sea turtle eggs are laid determine...
a. the sex of the developing turtles
b. the number of eggs laid
c. the number of eggs that hatch

• Maroon cultures have been created by runaway slaves in many parts of the Americas, including Suriname. One language spoken by Maroons in Suriname, Saramaccan, is a creole language--that is, a mixture of two or more languages.

6. What languages does Saramaccan combine with Dutch?
a. English
b. Portuguese
c. African, such as Akan
d. all of the above

ANSWERS: 1. Suriname's density is about 3 people per square kilometer (almost 8 people per square mile), and the Netherlands' density is about 400 people per square kilometer (more than 1,000people per square mile)! 2. (b) Bulgaria 3. It costs about $100 a day to survive in many places in the U.S. 4. (d) Dutch 5. (a) the sex of the developing turtles 6. (d) all of the above

Learn about sea turtles here.

Play a map game about the Americas.

Print free outline maps.