Virginia Aquarium responded to record number of sea turtle hypothermia cases this season
Basset Hound, a young loggerhead sea turtle, had not touched the water in four months. On Jan. 5, members of the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center's stranding response team received the call that the turtle had been stranded in Portsmouth. Back at the Darden Marine Animal Conservation Center, staff found that the turtle's internal temperature was 41 degrees Fahrenheit, a concerning sign since a healthy temperature for the species is about 75 degrees.
Basset Hound was cold-stunned.
When the sea-water temperature drops to about 55 degrees, sea turtles can be 'cold-stunned,' a type of hypothermia, said research scientist Joanna Daniel, and for Basset Hound, pneumonia had already begun to set in. In other cases, it's common to see sepsis or other secondary infections.
'Their organs are shutting down,' Daniel said of the rescued turtles. 'Sometimes their heart rate can be, like, one beat in a few minutes. You may not be seeing them breathe at all, so they really look dead. They're totally limp.'
This year, the team responded to 77 cold-stunned sea turtles from November 2024 to early 2025, a record-breaking year. Last year, the team responded to just 31 cold-stunned sea turtles stranded in the 2023-2024 season and 25 during the winter of 2022-2023.
During stranding calls this winter, 27 live turtles were admitted for rehabilitation at the center, and each turtle received a name based on a theme picked at beginning of the season. This year's theme was dog breeds. Team members cared for 15 green sea turtles, six loggerhead sea turtles and six critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles. Many of these turtles arrived non-responsive and in critical condition, according to the team. Eight did not respond to emergency intervention and died within the first few hours of being admitted to the rehabilitation facility.
With Basset Hound back in the ocean, it's another success story for the team. It's the 18th turtle release of the season, with the others returning to the water in Florida and North Carolina. Now, there are only two turtles left at the center.
'It's been really rewarding, because we've gotten to release a lot of the turtles back into the water like (Basset Hound),' Daniel said. 'But it's certainly been a lot of work and resource load on our staff.'
Daniel said beachgoers should always call the response team about stranded sea animals to give them the best chance for survival. The hotline, 757-385-7575, is monitored 24/7, and supporters can also donate to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Foundation, which supports the team's staff and volunteers with donations.
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
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