It is a day of celebrating the many unique and ancient species of turtles and tortoises around the world, and bringing awareness to their need for protection. Of the 207 species of turtle and tortoise alive today, 129 of them are listed by IUCN as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. That's an incredibly 62% of species!
The species listed here are only a few of the many critically endangered turtle and tortoise species. They illustrate that though these species wear a suit of armor, they are incredible fragile and in need of protection by humans, from humans.
The Dwarf Crocodile is a small species of crocodile that is natively found in the rainforests of West Africa. The Dwarf Crocodile is the smallest species of crocodile in the world and is also one of the most distinctive with a short, broad snout and tough scales that cover their entire black body (most crocodiles do not have such armoured scales on their underside). These characteristics have led to the Dwarf Crocodile being known by a number of different names including the Broad-Snouted Crocodile, the Bony Crocodile and the Black Crocodile. There are two recognised species of Dwarf Crocodile which are the West African Dwarf Crocodile and the Congo Dwarf Crocodile which differ slightly in n
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The African Penguin is a small to medium sized Penguin species that is found along the coast of South Africa and on a number of it's surrounding islands. The African Penguin is thought to be most closely related to the Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins found in southern South America, and the Galapagos Penguin found in the Pacific Ocean near the Equator. The African Penguin was named for the fact that it is the only species of Penguin that is found breeding on the African Coast, and it is believed to be one of the first Penguin species to be discovered by humans.
