Turtles suffering from hypothermia were rescued

Critically endangered bay turtles have been found in the waters off the Cape Cod Peninsula in Massachusetts. When the water temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius, turtles become hypothermic. Their motor skills decrease, they stop swimming, and the sea often washes them ashore. During night frosts, reptiles unable to move may not even survive.

The animals are now recovering at a facility more than 2,400 kilometers away in Marathon, Florida. They were transported there on Thursday thanks to the Turtles Fly Too organization, which deals with air transport of endangered species requiring assistance.

The turtles are placed in special containers lined with towels, and keepers make sure they do not leave them. Markings were written on their shells so as not to confuse any of them.

The small reptiles have been weighed and undergo thorough examination. Over the following days, they will be gradually released into increasingly warmer salt water until they finally return to their natural habitat.

Gulf tortoises, the smallest of sea turtles, are the species most susceptible to hypothermia. Most hypothermic animals are seen in the Massachusetts peninsula region. These animals occur off the eastern coast of the United States, in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.