The project

Inspired by the project “Wiki Loves Monuments”, we set up a page on Wikimedia Commons where everyone can upload images of sea turtle monuments. Wikimedia Commons was chosen because it is the most public and democratic platform on which to set up a project that aims to have a global reach.

Our hope is to involve as many people as possible who will contribute photographs from their travels or home countries, in order to create the sea turtle monument encyclopedic reference.

 

How to participate:

1) Go to http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page and create an account.

2) Upload file (option found in left column) and follow the instructions  (include geographic coordinates…you could help us make a very cool map one day).

3) The final step will then be to go to “Sea Turtle Monuments” Category on Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sea_Turtle_Monuments . Within this main category you will find sub-categories classified by geographic criteria. If you have uploaded an image on Wikimedia and you think it could fit in one of these categories just edit your image and insert it in the gallery. For example if the monument represented in your image is located in Germany you will simply write {{Category: Germany Sea Turtle Monuments}} at the bottom of the editing page of your image.

Attention! The photo MUST be taken by a named individual. Copied photos will not be displayed (unless they are taken by another named individual and are copyright free).

What we are looking /hoping for 🙂

– Open air monuments have to stand as a permanent feature, for example as part of a fountain, or as an outdoors ornament, like part of a gate.

– Fixed outdoor, three-dimensional, permanent sea turtle ornaments are also acceptable; but no graffiti or poster photos.

– The size of the monument doesn’t matter, as long as it’s a sea turtle! How can you tell apart a sea turtle from a tortoise?

Sea Turtles Tortoises
Habitat Live in water Live on land
Shells Mostly flat, streamlined shells. Lighter in weight. Mostly large dome shaped shells. Heavier shells.
Skin The outer layer of the shell is part of the skin. Each scute (or plate) on the shell corresponds to a single modified scale. Turtles continuously molt their skins in small pieces. Tortoises also shed skin, but dead skin is allowed to accumulate into thick knobs and plates that provide protection to parts of the body outside the shell.
Limbs Amphibious turtles have webbed feet with long claws. Sea turtles have flippers instead of feet. Bent legs with short and sturdy feet.

(Courtesy of www.differencebetween.info)

You may also visit www.euroturtle.org/1.htm for more details on the species of sea turtles.

– The photographs are your chance to celebrate sea turtles, so make it the focus.  It would be better if you did not include people or other features and don’t forget to document your photograph (these details will be needed when you submit your photo).

– There is no limit to the number of sea turtle monuments you can submit, if they fit the criteria, they will be displayed!