New green sea turtle temporarily on exhibit at Mote Aquarium
Mote Aquarium staff are excited to welcome a new temporary exhibit animal – Captain, a female, juvenile green sea turtle weighing approximately 30.5 pounds.
Captain was found stranded in October 2010 near Jacksonville, Florida, with boat-strike wounds, which affected the lower half of her body and rear flippers. Her injuries make it harder for her to swim and cause issues with buoyancy (unwanted floating).
She was rehabilitated at Georgia Sea Turtle Center and released in fall 2013, but she re-stranded near St. Augustine a month later.
In March 2014, Captain was transferred to Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital, where staff evaluated her buoyancy control in deep water by placing her in a large medical tank.
Over time it became apparent that Captain’s buoyancy issues were unresolved and would continue to affect her chances for survival in the wild.
“If a sea turtle is unable to regulate their buoyancy properly out in the wild, it makes them more vulnerable to predators and boat strikes,” said Lynne Byrd, Rehabilitation and Medical Care Coordinator at Mote.
Mote’s sea turtle hospital staff fitted Captain with weights on the back of her shell (carapace) designed to allow the turtle to achieve neutral buoyancy.
“Since Captain’s floating condition is unable to be resolved without these weights, which means she would not be able to feed or dive in the wild, she was deemed medically non-releasable by Mote’s veterinarian Dr. Andrew Stamper and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,” said Holly West, Sea Turtle Care & Research Coordinator at Mote.
Captain will be sharing the exhibit with Bellatrix, a juvenile Kemp’s ridley turtle, with a divider permanently separating the two, while FWC staff search for a long-term home for Captain.
“Having Captain on exhibit allows us to work on training her and getting her comfortable in an exhibit area, which will prepare her for long-term care in another facility,” West said.
Aquarium staff members are unsure how long Captain will be on exhibit.
“It depends on when a suitable home becomes available for her,” West said. “For now, we’re focused on making her stay here comfortable and getting her ready for a new, permanent home.”
