The North Carolina Aquariums regularly care for sick or injured sea turtles throughout the year, but winter weather brings an influx of turtles due to cold-stunning events. So far this season, the aquariums have cared for more than 200 turtles caught in frigid water temperatures, unable to swim due to a hypothermia-like response.
Sea turtles are cold-blooded, which means their surroundings determine their body temperature. Juvenile green, loggerhead and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles use the area’s shallow sounds as rich feeding grounds in the summer and fall. When a turtle senses the cooling fall temperature, it usually heads for warmer waters. When temperatures drop too quickly, they miss their chance to leave and become cold-stunned.
“Their heart rate and other functions slow, leaving them lethargic and unable to swim,” said Michele Lamping, aquarist and sea turtle specialist for NCAPKS. “Prolonged exposure can result in paralysis, and the turtles float on the surface or wash up on beaches.”