In pictures: Celebrating Tremendous Turtles for #WorldTurtleDay

Posted by Angela Glienicke — 22 May 2015 at 4:17pm - Comments
All rights reserved. Credit: © Paul Hilton / Greenpeace

We love turtles and Saturday's World Turtle Day is a great excuse to fish out all our amazing photos of these fabulous creatures that have been around for about 200 million years.

Our images don’t just illustrate the beauty of these reptiles though, but also some of the threats turtles are facing, like being caught on the end of a bait line of a longliner.

A hawksbill turtle swims past a boat in the waters off Larantuka, Flores, Indonesia.

© Paul Hilton / Greenpeace 2011

A critically endangered hawksbill turtle swims over the coral gardens at Kanawa Island near Flores, Indonesia. The island is located in the Komodo National Park.

© Paul Hilton / Greenpeace 2014

Frederick C. Yeh, founder of Sea turtles 911 calms down a rescued Olive Ridley turtle at the 911 base in Hainan Island. Sea Turtles 911 is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles.

© Paul Hilton / Greenpeace 2010

Portrait of a sliding turtle walking on a wet stone, Mexico.

© John Novis / Greenpeace 2002

A green turtle in the Great Barrier Reef

© Greenpeace 2010

An Indonesian crew member displays a turtle caught on the end of a bait line of a Korean longliner, the 'Shin Yung 51'. The location is within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Kiribati. Sharks, turtles, dolphins and albatrosses can often end up as unfortunate by-catch of longline fishing.

© Alex Hofford / Greenpeace 2006

Endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) compete to breed in the shallow reef at Rose Atoll, American Samoa. The Rose Atoll is a showcase of fully protected marine reserve and is already showing signs of recovery.

© Paul Hilton / Greenpeace 2011

Greenpeace divers, together with scientists from Silliman University, Apo island community members, the Marine Protected Area Management Board and Apo island dive wardens, unfurl a banner reading 'Save our Seas'.

© Steve De Neef / Greenpeace 2013

A critically endangered hawksbill turtle swims over the coral gardens at Kanawa Island near Flores, Indonesia. The island is located in the Komodo National Park.

© Paul Hilton / Greenpeace 2010

A green turtle returning to the ocean after laying her eggs on Heron Island overnight. 

© Dean Sewell / Greenpeace

If these images inspire you to protect turtles' ocean homes, become an ocean defender.

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