Bob Prescott of the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary holds one of the cold-stunned sea turtles rescued on Cape beaches this week.Cape Cod Times/Steve Heaslip
SOUTH WELLFLEET - November 29, 2009 — More than a dozen cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles washed up on Cape beaches in the past few days, marking the beginning of the region's turtle stranding season.
After a warm fall, the water temperatures are finally dropping below 50 degrees. It's too cold for the sea turtles, which were supposed to have moved south for the winter by this time. But every year, some of the marine reptiles get tricked by the geological anomalies of Cape Cod and Long Island, said Bob Prescott, director of the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
After a warm fall, the water temperatures are finally dropping below 50 degrees. It's too cold for the sea turtles, which were supposed to have moved south for the winter by this time. But every year, some of the marine reptiles get tricked by the geological anomalies of Cape Cod and Long Island, said Bob Prescott, director of the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
How to save a turtle
Instructions on rescuing stranded sea turtles:
1. Move the turtle above the high tide line. DO NOT PUT IT BACK INTO THE WATER. DO NOT REMOVE IT FROM THE BEACH.
2. Cover the animal with seaweed or eelgrass to limit exposure to the wind.
3. Mark the spot with a conspicuous piece of beach debris such as a lobster buoy or driftwood.
4. Call Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Sea Turtle Hot Line at 508-349-2615, ext. 104. Leave an exact location as well as distinguishable landmarks. A rescue crew will come as soon as possible.
1. Move the turtle above the high tide line. DO NOT PUT IT BACK INTO THE WATER. DO NOT REMOVE IT FROM THE BEACH.
2. Cover the animal with seaweed or eelgrass to limit exposure to the wind.
3. Mark the spot with a conspicuous piece of beach debris such as a lobster buoy or driftwood.
4. Call Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Sea Turtle Hot Line at 508-349-2615, ext. 104. Leave an exact location as well as distinguishable landmarks. A rescue crew will come as soon as possible.
Late in the fall, many Kemp's ridley, green and loggerhead turtles in local waters become cold stunned: a torpid state with heart rates slowing down to as low as one beat a minute, Prescott said. The cold-blooded creatures appear dead, but the cold stunned condition allows the turtles' bodies to hunker down and survive, he said. The turtles can bury themselves in the mud on the bottom of the sea and survive for a few weeks in waters below 50 degrees.
But turtles cannot make it through an entire New England winter, Prescott said. If the stragglers are lucky, they'll wash up on the beach and be rescued by volunteers. Or they'll die.
The Kemp's ridleys, which hatch off the coast of Mexico, are the most endangered of the sea turtles that ply local waters, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The species is listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act. They are also the most common to wash up on Cape beaches.
At least 15 cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles have washed ashore since Wednesday, Prescott said. About 23 have been found from Sandwich to Provincetown since October, he said.
Seven were taken from Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday to the New England Aquarium, where their dangerously low body temperatures can be brought up slowly in incubators, Prescott said.
An unusual east wind this fall has blown many turtles to Hull and Quincy rather than Cape Cod, he said. The warm temperatures must have confused the turtles. Many are covered with algae, which tells Prescott they may have buried themselves in the mud in September then stayed put.
Peculiar weather can set the stage for massive turtle strandings, Prescott said. In 1999, wind and weather converged to bring in a record 200 cold-stunned turtles, he said. This year could have been the same but because the fall was warm for so long, Prescott thinks many of the turtles have been able to escape south.
Kemp's ridleys are the smallest of the turtle species that wash up cold stunned on Cape beaches. They weigh up to 100 pounds, Prescott said. Loggerheads, which usually appear cold stunned on local beaches in the winter, weigh about 200 pounds, he said.
But turtles cannot make it through an entire New England winter, Prescott said. If the stragglers are lucky, they'll wash up on the beach and be rescued by volunteers. Or they'll die.
The Kemp's ridleys, which hatch off the coast of Mexico, are the most endangered of the sea turtles that ply local waters, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The species is listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act. They are also the most common to wash up on Cape beaches.
At least 15 cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles have washed ashore since Wednesday, Prescott said. About 23 have been found from Sandwich to Provincetown since October, he said.
Seven were taken from Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday to the New England Aquarium, where their dangerously low body temperatures can be brought up slowly in incubators, Prescott said.
An unusual east wind this fall has blown many turtles to Hull and Quincy rather than Cape Cod, he said. The warm temperatures must have confused the turtles. Many are covered with algae, which tells Prescott they may have buried themselves in the mud in September then stayed put.
Peculiar weather can set the stage for massive turtle strandings, Prescott said. In 1999, wind and weather converged to bring in a record 200 cold-stunned turtles, he said. This year could have been the same but because the fall was warm for so long, Prescott thinks many of the turtles have been able to escape south.
Kemp's ridleys are the smallest of the turtle species that wash up cold stunned on Cape beaches. They weigh up to 100 pounds, Prescott said. Loggerheads, which usually appear cold stunned on local beaches in the winter, weigh about 200 pounds, he said.
