3. Turtle Characterization Q:Which sea turtle is the male and which one is the female? The male has a longer tail than the female. A: The one on the left is the male, the one right is a female
4. The Loggerhead Sea Turtle The Loggerhead sea turtle is the second largest turtle in the Florida Keys. The Loggerhead got its name from its over-sized head as you see here in the bottom right corner. Its shell is a dark brownish color. Its head is speckled like a giraffe. Its flippers are wide and blunt like all sea turtles. This is a loggerhead sea turtle Recuperating at the turtle hospital.
5. Green Sea turtle The Green sea turtle is the second smallest in the Keys. It can grow to be 300 lbs though. Greens are the ones you will see the most of. Their name actually comes from the fat inside their bodies. They like to eat sea grass so their fatty insides are green. This is a Green sea turtle .
6. The Leatherback Sea Turtle The Leatherback sea turtle is the largest in the Keys waters. They have a black leather-like back and head. The Leatherbacks do not have a shell; the shell on their back is hard skin. They stay out in the ocean for most of their lives. They can grow up to 12 ft long and weigh 2000 lbs. They have long and medium width flippers. They have a tail that is very large even the female tail. They nest in the day time. No one knows why, when their cousins the Loggerhead, Green, and Kemps Ridley nest at night.
7. Kemps Ridley The Kemps Ridley is the smallest turtle in the Keys. It appears not have much color to it, mostly gray and light colors. But, it really has a distinct color to catch our eye if you see it. It is the rarest turtle in the Keys.
8. Rescue The Turtle Hospital is only able to rescue if you as the cautious boater sees a sick or injured turtle. The way you will see a sick turtle is if it is floating and can’t dive or if it is swimming weirdly. If you do see a sick or injured turtle, you must hail the Coast Guard on the radio immediately then the Coast Guard will come out in a patrol boat and find the turtle. The turtle hospital will have some staff on board. They will get the turtle into the boat and have the turtle ambulance waiting at the dock.
9. Rehabilitation When the ambulance gets to the Turtle Hospital they put the turtle into the tank or they operate, or x-ray and put it on antibioticsto help with the injury or illness that the turtle has. After they operate or help the turtles they have to get the turtle ready to be released. They help it by teaching it to swim with one flipper or what ever it needs to get back into the wild. There are some permanent residents at the hospital which means they are too injured or too sick get released into the wild and live a normal life.
11. Threats To Sea Turtles Monofilament line from your fishing poles can get caught on the sea turtles’ flippers or around its neck. The turtle could lose a limb or two. Plastic bags can be mistaken as jellyfish that the sea turtles eat. Then they choke. Then they die. Boat hits can be fatal or the turtle gets a symptom called Bubble Butt where carbon dioxide gets stuck under there shell. They can’t dive or breath because their hind quarters get stuck in the air.
12. My Thoughts I thought that the turtle hospital is a very good time. It is a must go. It really moved me. You really need take into consideration that people are not the only things on this planet. The sea turtles need to make a come back soon. We need to help them any way we can.
