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Jill Pryor, a biologist with the New York Marine Rescue Center, in Riverhead carries one of two rescued loggerhead sea turtles that were flown in from the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts on January 22, 2021. The stranded loggerheads are recuperating after being cold-stunned. John Paraskevas/Newsday RM via Getty ImagesShareThe typically toasty Sun Belt has been anything but warm this week, as some unusual weather is gripping the southern United States. The New Orleans area saw up to 10 inches of snow, alligators are freezingbut staying alivein lakes in Southeast Texas, and turtle patrols in Florida are rescuing cold-stunned turtles.Three endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) found in Pensacola Beach, Florida are heading to Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach. A member of the Escambia Turtle Patrol found a turtle named Arugla on Wednesday, January 22. By Thursday, volunteers with Gulf Coast Turtle Watch reported two more juvenile green turtles walking along the shore. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.When the Sound water drops below 50 these turtles start to struggle and become lethargic, causing them to freeze to death. They will then just float into shore, Gulf Coast Turtle Watch wrote on Facebook. Our current Soundside water was reading this morning at 47. All turtles have been safely, responded to and transported to the Gulfarium in Fort Walton Beach by our permitted volunteers.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission also reported that two of its officers rescued 30 sea turtles on Thursday and urged anyone who sees a distressed turtle to call 888-404-FWCC (3922).According to NOAA, cold-stunning is a condition where sea turtles become very weak or inactive after being exposed to cold temperatures. A similar phenomenon is seen in iguanas. These terrestrial reptiles can fall from trees after being cold-stunned during cold snaps.Since sea turtles and iguanas are reptiles, they are not able to strictly regulate their body temperature the way that birds and mammals can. The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) does have a few physiological adaptations that come closest to this kind of thermoregulation. For other turtle species, body temperature is closely related to their environment, so they will seek out warmer waters during the winter. Turtles will typically swim away from shore to deep water or head south.Recently, cold-stunning events have happened in several locations, including Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts, Long Island Sound in New York, Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, and various bays in Texas.When cold-stunned, turtles will become lethargic and eventually are unable to swim. They then float at the surface and wind and/or tides can wash them ashore. If it stays cold enough and the turtles are not rescued, they can develop secondary health problemsincluding fungal and bacterial infectionsand die.Cold-stunned sea turtles will often need help from humans in order to recover. They may briefly stay in captivity until waters warm or be brought to a warmer location for release. In some cases, severely affected turtles can require veterinary care and rehabilitation before they can be released back into the wild. In November 2024, a team from the New Orleans Audubon Aquarium released a formerly cold-stunned critically endangered Kemps ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) named Cilantro into the Gulf of Mexico after nearly two years of rehabilitation.Anyone who sees a turtle in distress is encouraged to contact their local NOAA stranding network so that trained responders can help.
