Latest news: Today we celebrate turtles  |  23 May 2012

To mark World Turtle Day - today, May 23 - our Parks staff have pulled together a short video in celebration of these wonderful marine reptiles.

The video was taken on Christmas Island, home to two species of turtles - the green turtle and the hawksbill. Unlike mainland areas of Australia where turtle nesting usually takes place between October and November, nesting is a year-round activity on Christmas Island. This little hatchling is a green sea turtle.

World Turtle Day helps increase awareness and knowledge of turtles and tortoises around the globe.

More news | Watch the video | Read more about marine life on Christmas Island

Experience

Christmas Island National Park offers visitors a unique natural environment with great visitor experiences - spectacular diving, glorious deserted beaches, rare birds and the annual red crab migration.

Getting here | Walks | Tours | Red crab migration | Visitor information | News

Unique ecosystems

With so many endemic species, the Christmas Island is often referred to as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean. One of the world's significant seabird islands, it provides habitat for thousands of seabirds, such as the red-tailed tropic bird and the endangered Abbott's booby. It has the only nesting sites in the world of the Christmas Island frigate bird. In order to better understand and maintain this priceless biodiversity, the Christmas Island Biodiversity Working Group has established a significant monitoring information system.

Flora | Fauna | Birdlife | Habitats | Listen to the ABC Science Show on Christmas Island | Christmas Island Expert Working Group