Kemp’s ridley C

Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)

(99-782LK)

Age Class Juvenile
Gender Unknown
Date Stranded November 15, 1999
Location of Stranding Cape Cod, MA
Date of Arrival November 17, 1999
Number of Days of Care 169

Final Disposition

Released at Canaveral National Seashore Sanctuary on May 5, 2000

This turtle was part of a mass stranding of 277 turtles in the winter of 1999-2000 at Cape Cod. This turtle was treated for pneumonia, intestinal protozoa, and skin lesions and was released back into the wild.

Lessons: (applicable to Kemps A-K)

1. Piperacillin was effective in controlling pseudomonad infections.
2. Itraconazole worked in 9 of 11 turtles to control fungal infections.
3. Cold stunning may affect the immune system of affected turtles of up to 9-10 months.
4. Fungal infections may not affect the white counts in turtles.
5. Uric acid was best indicator of kidney failure.
6. The antibiotic grepofloxacin caused a total loss of appetite.

frontal view of a kemps ridley turtle
Arrival

frontal view of a kemps ridley turtle
Pre-release

Happening at Mote

Fin Fact

Manatees make sounds—in fact, they make five different calls: squeaks, high squeaks, squeals, squeak-squeals, and chirps. They even have “graded” calls, meaning they can adjust a single call to convey more nuances of what they’re doing or how they’re feeling. Think of how a cat adjusts its “meow” when startled, happy, or excited. Mote scientists study manatee vocalizations to better understand the behavior of these imperiled mammals.

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