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Sunday, January 29, 2012

SC Sea Turtle Hospital

On May 27, 2011, Little River was rescued from the Intracoastal Waterway near Little River after being hit by a boat propeller.  Half of her front left flipper was missing, slightly older wound and may have been the reason she was struck by the boat. 


January 27, 2012.  What a difference eight months in the Sea Turtle Hospital!  One wound came very close to her spinal cord so it was feared she might be paralyze.  But with all the special care, physical therapy and love from the staff, she is starting to move her back flippers.  



Mid January 2012, 7 cold stun turtles are flown down from New England and admitted to the hospital.  One sea turtle is a hybrid cross between a Green Sea Turtle and a Loggerhead.  This turtle has the scute pattern and color of a loggerhead but the head of a green.  The turtle does not have the trademark serrated lower jaw of the green which enables it to eat sea grass, the preferred food of the Green.  And the staff reports it does not like lettuce which most greens love.  Loggerheads have the large heads and powerful jaws to crush whelk, crabs and other shell fish.  If this turtle prefers this type of food, will it be able to crush the larger shells? 




Gumpy!!  It is thought this young turtle was taken off the beach as a hatchling and raised in a home aquarium.  When it was found floating in the ocean, it was very over weight, but had very little bone mass.  Months of rehabilitation including hours in the sun, proper diet and exercise have done wonders for this turtle.


Six cold stun Kemps Ridleys from New England.  They were rescued in the Cape Cod Area and flown down to the aquarium in a private jet.



Cut out model of a turtle nest.


Do you know what this is??


SC Aquarium and SC Sea Turtle Hospital.  A wonderful place to visit!!

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