Weighing 150 pounds and taking five men to wrestle her out of her saltwater tank, Dylan the sea turtle is set to be released into the sea today.
If the loggerhead sea turtle heads into the ocean as planned, she won’t be expected to return to land until she starts laying eggs about 20 years from now. Georgia Aquarium and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center partnered to release Dylan off the same coast where she was found nearly 10 years ago.
“She’s as ready as she’s going to be,” Terry Norton, head veterinarian at the Sea Turtle Center. “She’s definitely strong.
She’s a voracious eater. She knows they’re not going to hurt her.”
During her stay at the Sea Turtle Center, the staff learned Dylan is a female. It’s nearly impossible to tell a sea turtle’s gender until it reaches adulthood, which can take 30 years.
When Dylan is released today, instinct should lead her to swim out to sea, Norton said. If she stays on the beach, she’ll be returned to the center.
If she heads into the water, the center will keep a close watch on where she goes using a satellite transmitter, glued to the top of her massive shell.
Fact Sheet
It is nearly impossible to know a sea turtle’s gender until it reaches
adulthood, which may take 30 years.
Total estimated nesting in the U.S. is approximately 68,000 to 90,000 nests per
year.
An adult turtle weighs 200-350 lbs and measures about 3 feet in length.
After a female turtle drags herself up the beach, she hollows out a pit with her
back legs and deposits 50-200 eggs the size of golf balls.
The loggerhead sea turtle has been on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Endangered Species List since July 28, 1978.
They travel thousands of miles, dive thousands of feet deep and venture into
much colder water than any other kind of sea turtle.
Tags: aquarium, endangered species, sea
Tags: aquarium, endangered species, sea