Winter brings turtles 🐢 ❄️

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January 2025

Caring for chilly turtles

Winter’s here, and with it comes cold-stunned sea turtles. Cold-stunning events in NC usually happen between December and February.

Cold-stunning is when a sudden drop in water temperature causes shock to sea turtles and puts them into a hypothermic-type state. This abrupt shock can leave many turtles stunned and unable to swim. When winter winds blow, sea turtles can become stranded and unable to recover.

Throughout the winter, the NC Aquariums help rehabilitate and release sea turtles who are affected by the cold. The number of turtles brought in each year varies from as few as 35 to as many as 600! At Roanoke Island, turtles are typically found and rescued from Avon to Ocracoke on the sound side, with a few coming from the ocean side. Pine Knoll Shores cares for turtles found in area waters and some that are flown in from New England! 

The rehabilitation process begins after the turtles are rescued and assessed by our veterinary team. They are then taken to one of the Aquariums or other sea turtle rehabilitation facilities. Care teams look over each turtle’s condition and creates a treatment plan for each one. Once the sea turtles are healthy enough to thrive on their own, they’re released with the help of various partners. Many turtles are taken by boat back to the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.

You can support the work and mission of the NC Aquariums, including the rescue and rehabilitation of sick and injured sea turtles, with a donation to the NC Aquarium Society annual fund.

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1-800-832-FISH (3474)