32 cold-stunned sea turtles flown to the Florida Keys to be warmed up

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Thirty-two cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles were flown to the Florida Keys to be treated and warmed up after being rescued between late November and early December off Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

A group of volunteer aviation pilots conducted the transfer. After their arrival at Marathon's Turtle Hospital, a veterinary clinic dedicated exclusively to treating sick and injured sea turtles, veterinarians examined the turtles and started the process for taking care of these reptiles.

Staff members at the Florida Keys-based Turtle Hospital in Marathon look at a portion of a group of 32 cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles after they were flown to the subtropical Keys. /VCG Photo

Low water temperatures can have a huge impact on sea turtles. Unlike marine mammals such as dolphins, sea turtles rely on the external environment to regulate their body temperatures, which means they can't keep themselves warm.

When water temperatures drop, sea turtles will move to warmer water offshore. When the water temperature drops rapidly, the sea turtles can become inactive. But when the temperature of the water is less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, sea turtles may become stunned.

Veterinarian Brooke Burkhalter examines the eye of a cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtle at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida. /VCG Photo

A stunned sea turtle has decreased heart rate and lethargy, so they can't move well, which leaves them vulnerable to any kind of injury. They might be pushed onto the shore by waves and winds or float on the water.

(L-R) Brooke Burkhalter, Bette Zirkelbach, Shelby Loos and Jeff Carr work to intubate a cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtle at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida. /VCG Photo

To save the sea turtles, the veterinarians put these cold-blooded reptiles in rehabilitation tanks with warmer water and feed them mixed seafood. Other treatments are also conducted. Once the sea turtles are healthy enough to be released, they are to be returned to warmer waters off Florida.

Kemp's ridley sea turtle is the rarest species of sea turtle and is critically endangered. The species was named in honor of Richard Moore Kemp (1825-1908), an amateur naturalist who discovered the turtle. Today, the major threats to the sea turtle include pollution, habit loss, and entanglement in shrimping nets.