Mrs. Turt Lee (Fat Tire)

Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)

(ST14057)

Age Class Adult
Gender Female
Date Stranded June 15, 2014
Location of Stranding Offshore of Manatee County
Date of Arrival June 15, 2014
Number of Days of Care 327 days

Final Disposition

Mrs. Turt Lee (Fat Tire)

6/15/14 A sea turtle rescued by the Coast Guard Sunday, June 15, one mile off Longboat Pass is being treated for boat-strike injuries at Mote. This turtle’s story serves as a reminder to watch out for marine animals while boating and to report animals in distress.

A member of the public reported the turtle to Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector St. Petersburg, who quickly mobilized a marine vessel for the rescue and notified Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program — a 24-hour response service for marine mammals and sea turtles in Sarasota and Manatee counties — that they would bring the turtle ashore. The 230-pound female loggerhead turtle had an unidentified sharp object sticking out of her shell and was unable to dive. Coast Guard officials lifted the turtle aboard their boat, cradled her atop a large rubber tire and delivered her to the boat ramp at Ken Thompson Park, near Mote. Mote staff and with Coast Guard members transported the turtle to Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital.

5/8/15 After nearly a year of treatment, Mrs. Turt Lee's wounds healed and she was able to be released on Lido Beach, Florida.  Members of the Coast Gaurd came to show support and assisted in her release. 

Members of the Coast Guard with Mrs. Turt Lee in the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital at Mote Marine Laboratory; (from left to right) Seaman Jennifer Maynard, Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle Gaub, Petty officer 2nd Class Wilson Sorrentini, Fireman Nicklas Becton, Petty officer 2nd Class Tyler Keil, and Petty officer 3rd Class Jose Perez. (Copyright Mote Marine Laboratory)
Deep penetrating boat strike wound on carapace when turtle was found.
Mrs. Turt Lee being released
Mrs. Turt Lee being released
Mote Staff and Coast Guard

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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