Cold-stunned turtles receive specialized care at Mote Marine


When temperatures drop to the low 50s or 40s, sea turtles can become cold-stunned and need rehabilitation at a facility like Mote.
When temperatures drop to the low 50s or 40s, sea turtles can become cold-stunned and need rehabilitation at a facility like Mote.
Photo by Carter Weinhofer
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Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium’s rehabilitation center opened a couple of days early to house a group of cold-stunned sea turtles. 

The 22 juvenile green sea turtles are receiving care at Mote’s Sarasota rehab facility after being rescued from St. Johns and Flagler Counties on the east coast of Florida. 

According to Rehabilitation & Medical Care Manager Lynne Byrd, the facility takes in cold-stunned sea turtles, called “cold stuns,” whenever they can. 

“We’re happy to help and be back open,” Byrd said.

According to Byrd, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) called Mote to see if they would take in the turtles from The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in St. Augustine.

The turtles arrived at Mote in two groups, some on Jan. 25 and others on Jan. 27. 

Usually, the cold stuns come from northern areas like Massachusetts. Sometimes, though, the temperature in some parts of Florida drops low enough and causes sea turtles to become stunned. 

This typically happens when temperatures drop to the low 50s, according to Byrd. Sea turtles generally prefer environmental temperatures above 68 degrees Fahrenheit

Sea turtles are reptiles and cannot internally regulate their body temperatures. When the external temperatures drop too low, the turtles can’t warm themselves, become lethargic and have a slower heart rate. 

“That’s why they float to the surface and then they’re picked off by predators, hit by boats or they’ll float to the shore,” Byrd said. “And that’s where people find them. A lot of times, you can’t even tell these critters are alive.” 


Specialized care

When the turtles are first rescued, a rescue facility begins the rehabilitation process by slowly warming the turtles. It’s important to gradually warm them up and not immediately increase the temperatures, Byrd said. 

After a couple of days of preliminary care and increasing the temperatures by about 3-4 degrees per day, the turtles can be transported to a secondary care facility like Mote. 

Byrd said every case is different, but the turtles could stay at Mote for about a month. 

Crow is one of the 22 juvenile green sea turtles that Mote is currently rehabbing.
Photo by Carter Weinhofer

“We never give up on a sea turtle,” Byrd said.

The more severe turtles are “dry docked,” meaning they are not alert enough to be placed in tanks on their own yet. The rehab team will allow the turtles to take short swims and gradually introduce them to the larger tanks. 

Others are placed in the large, green tanks located in Mote’s main rehabilitation center. 

There, the juvenile green sea turtles are in small groups of two or three. Byrd said green turtles are kinder to one another than other species of sea turtles, so they’re able to be housed together. 

During the rehabilitation process, Byrd said it’s important to not hand-feed the turtles at all so they don’t lose their natural instinct. 

In the tanks, PVC pipes with greens sticking out and scattered chunks of shrimp and squid are used so the turtles can find food for themselves. 

The juvenile green sea turtles are housed in large, green tanks in small groups of two or three.
Photo by Carter Weinhofer

The temperatures in the turtles’ tanks will go through a gradual increase. After a couple of days at Mote, the tanks were in the low 60s but could get as warm as 73 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Mote will rehab the turtles for as long as needed, but if another large batch needs a place to go, Byrd said the facility might release the strongest turtles to make room for others. 

It’s unlikely that a cold-stunned sea turtle would be found in Sarasota Bay, but Byrd said when a cold-stunned turtle is found, don’t assume it’s dead just because it’s floating on the surface. 

Byrd said to call the FWC immediately and not try to warm up the turtles quickly by putting them in a car with the heat on. 

 

author

Carter Weinhofer

Carter Weinhofer is the Longboat Key news reporter for the Observer. Originally from a small town in Pennsylvania, he moved to St. Petersburg to attend Eckerd College until graduating in 2023. During his entire undergraduate career, he worked at the student newspaper, The Current, holding positions from science reporter to editor-in-chief.

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