As temperatures drop below freezing across New England, an unlikely animal is also in need of a little warmth this winter.
Mystic Aquarium said it recently received more than a dozen cold-stunned sea turtles from the New England Aquarium in Boston. The turtles were brought to the aquarium in banana boxes where they are set to receive exams and be rehabilitated before going back into to the ocean.
“Every year around this time, sea turtles that come into the area during those warm, summer months become hypothermic as the temperatures drop and their blood circulation and respiration rate slow down significantly,” said Sarah Callan, animal rescue program manager for Mystic Aquarium. “Sea turtles end up washing up on the beaches unresponsive, and it’s critical we get them the medical attention and care they need as quickly as we can.”
The New England Aquarium has taken in more than 200 turtles since temperatures started to plunge last month. Among the 12 turtles transferred to Mystic Aquarium are the green sea turtles and the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. But this year is no fluke, as the aquarium admits cold-stunned turtles as part of its animal rescue program each year.
“Our team performed extensive exams on these animals, which included blood collection and diagnostics and radiographs to check for pneumonia,” Callan said. “We came up with an individual treatment plan for each one of our animals. Throughout their rehabilitation, each animal will be monitored closely to ensure they are gaining weight steadily and regaining that strength to swim well. We will be monitoring their overall health to make sure we can get them back out to their ocean home as quickly as possible.”
Sea turtles will migrate to New England waters during the spring to forage as nutrient-rich foods can be plentiful off the coast of Cape Cod. But each year, hundreds of sea turtles don’t migrate further south in time and become stranded in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Callan said. Cape Cod bay provides a perfect habitat for many baby sea turtles in the spring with relatively calm waters and plentiful algae and seagrass. But many stay too long and quickly become cold-stunned.
When sea turtles become exposed to cold conditions for long periods of time, temperatures drop below freezing and they become weak and lethargic. Sea turtles require several days of gradual warming to bring them out of their cold-stunned state.
“Sea turtles get cold-stunned because they are cold-blooded reptiles that can’t regulate their own body heat. Cold-stunning occurs in the winter and causes the animals to lose their ability to swim, feed and navigate due to dropping water temperatures,” Mystic Aquarium said in a statement.
The team at Mystic Aquarium plans to release the turtles in the warmer waters of South Carolina once they are fully rehabilitated.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at [email protected].