7 turtles released in front of largest crowd ever!

Sunday's release of 7 sea turtles attracted an epic crowd of well over a thousand onlookers and brings the South Carolina Aquarium to 90 releases since 2000. Enjoy the photos!

Aerial view of sea turtle release taken by IOP friend and pilot, Nicholas Johannes.  WOW!

The Hollands, Tyson, Mary, Mason and Zach, release Mason (Kemp's ridley) and Eclipse (hybrid). Thanks for the ride into Charleston and the lift out to sea! 

Beautiful reflection of Mason on the sand as he pauses before heading into the water.

With the help of William, Sea Turtle Hospital Volunteer Machelle Morningstar released Andrew, the Kemp's ridley that was medically cleared the very morning of release. So happy he could go!

SCDNR's Amy Gutierrez released the Kemp's ridley, Eastham, with Kendall holding the name card.

Innis, a Kemp's ridley sea turtle, was released by hospital volunteer, Ann Connellee, and Charlie held the name card for the crowd to see.

With the help of card holder Lilly, hospital volunteer Elaine Warren releases the Kemp's ridley, Sampson.

Be safe out there little turtles!!

Hospital interns Caroline and Vicki release Little River, the boat strike loggerhead that was admitted last summer. Hunter and William from Team Tortuga carried the name cards.

Little River has a short crawl on the sand. What a beautiful loggerhead!

We would like to thank everyone that helped with the rescue, rehabilitation and release of these turtles. And huge thanks to all that came out to the Isle of Palms to make this such an amazing day. Many were eager to join us for this first release of the season and we are grateful for the support!

Kelly Thorvalson

Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager

First sea turtle release of the season on April 29!

In partnership with the SC Department of Natural Resources and Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, the South Carolina Aquarium will be releasing 6 sea turtles back into the wild at the Isle of Palms County Park on April 29^th at 10:30am. The public is invited to watch as 4 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, 1 juvenile loggerhead, and the rare green/loggerhead hybrid rejoin sea turtle populations in the Atlantic Ocean. County Park gates will open at 9:30am (30 minutes earlier than normal for this occasion), and parking fees apply. Carpooling is strongly encouraged as traffic will be heavy into the park.

The loggerhead being released is Little River from Little River, SC. She suffered traumatic carapace injuries from a boat propeller, a partial front flipper amputation, and partial paralysis of the rear flippers. In the video below, Little River is pulled for a monthly weight check. The rear flipper usage is stronger out of water than she exhibits while swimming and we are confident that she will continue to gain movement in the wild.

The rare green/loggerhead hybrid sea turtle, Eclipse, and four Kemp's ridleys, Mason, Innis, Sampson and Eastham, have also been medically cleared for release. These animals were cold-stunned off the New England Coast in December and treated at the New England Aquarium, then transported to the South Carolina Aquarium in January. These young turtles are definitely the most active sea turtles currently in our care and can be seen swimming and enjoying various forms of enrichment. We offer a variety of enrichment to our sea turtles including fish pops, back scratchers, live crabs, and sleeping tubes.

Catching sea turtle patients napping in their tubes never ceases to delight staff, volunteers and hospital guests. Innis and Sampson are pictured below sleeping in their pipes.  Sea turtle are not able to retract into their shells like other turtles so in the wild they will sleep in the safety of caves and over hangs. The tubes in their tanks mimic these habitats and sea turtles of all sizes and species utilize them.

Fish pops, frozen water with fish, are great way for sea turtles to seek out their food in a totally different way than normal, providing brain stimulation and exercise for their jaw muscles! Below is a video of Eastham really enjoying his fish pop filled with mackerel and capelin.

Get involved! Learn more about each patient’s medical care in our Sea Turtle Hospital, visit the patients in the hospital this week before they get released – tour days and times are HERE, and come out to watch these animals be released into the wild next Sunday. It is an experience you won’t soon forget!

The Sea Turtle Rescue Team

A closer look at the hybrid sea turtle, "Eclipse"

At first glance, Eclipse appears to be just another feisty sea turtle in our hospital, splashing around his tank and rubbing his shell on his PVC backscratcher. But Eclipse is very unique, and you’ve likely never seen another turtle that looks just like him.

That’s because Eclipse is a rare hybrid, and he possesses an interesting combination of physical traits inherited from his parents. Although genetic analysis is still pending, it’s very apparent that this juvenile is a cross between a loggerhead and a green sea turtle. If you know even a little about the very different life histories of those two species, you’ll be apt to spend as much time as I have pondering the many choices this charismatic little turtle is going to have to make in the future!

The shape of a turtle’s head and beak are indicative of its diet. For example, the loggerhead turtle is known for its large, wide head and massive beak. This combination of a robust beak, which contains cutting and crushing plates, and a large skull, which houses a mass of muscle, enable the loggerhead to easily crush the shells of crabs and mollusks. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the green sea turtle, who is equipped with a small head and beak with a serrated edge. This serrated beak is perfect for tearing and consuming sea grass and algae, staples of the greens’ diet.

Take a look at Eclipse’s head and beak in the picture below. Like a green, his head is small and he has only two scutes (or scales) between the eyes. However, his coloration and beak, which lacks a serrated edge, closely resemble a loggerhead’s. Will he have enough muscle strength in his small skull to eat crabs? Or will he be able to consume sea grass efficiently without a serrated beak?

Sea turtles are often identified in part based on the number of scutes (individual scales or sections) on their carapace (shell). In this aspect, Eclipse also appears to be half green turtle and half loggerhead. On his left side, Eclipse has just four scutes like a green. However, his right side has five scutes, just like a loggerhead. The shape and coloration of his shell more closely resemble a loggerhead’s as well, as he lacks the beautiful marbleized patterns and rounder shape characteristic of green sea turtles.

Regardless of his genetic heritage, Eclipse is thriving in our hospital and has almost fully recovered from being cold-stunned in Massachusetts last November, first receiving treatment at the New England Aquarium. Although he’s not a fan of the romaine lettuce we offer him, a treat which green turtles love to munch on, he chows down on a healthy assortment of restaurant quality fishes like smelt, mackerel, and capelin. Come visit Eclipse in our hospital and learn more about what makes him unique!

Christi Hughes
Sea Turtle Biologist

Sea turtles take to the skies!

It wasn't until Thursday that Andy Smith, the pilot from North American Jet flying demonstration flights near Boston, Massachusetts, learned that he may be traveling back to Charleston with seven endangered sea turtles. It's probably something that had never crossed his mind. But that's exactly what he did on Sunday afternoon. Through the generosity of Mason Holland, Charleston resident and owner of North American Jet, seven sea turtles suffering the effects of cold-stunning off the New England coast flew in style to finish rehabilitation at the South Carolina Aquarium.

Prior to Sunday, the turtles had been receiving treatment at the New England Aquarium in Boston but their hospital beds were full and seal season was on its way. The South Carolina Aquarium offered to take several patients to lighten their load.

The South Carolina Aquarium Sprinter Van greets the Eclipse 500, one of the most fuel efficient jets in the world.


Taking a look at the precious cargo.

Turtles snug in their boxes ready for the last leg of their trip.

James Platzer with North American Jet staff, pilot Andy Smith and Charleston Dispatcher Chris Casias

Team from Sea Turtle Rescue Program and North American Jet

The first strandings for our new interns, Caroline and Vicki

Their body temperatures were monitored and they went into tanks when they warmed to within a few degrees of tank temperatures

All seven turtles recieved exams and treatment for skin lesions

Six of the seven patients are juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, the most endangered of all the species. These little guys range from 5-9 pounds. They have been named in honor of those that helped them up to this point, including folks from the New England Aquarium and North American Jet.

The seventh sea turtle is actually a hybrid! A DNA sample has been taken for analysis to determine exactly what kind of hybrid, but it is most likely a loggerhead green. This special turtle is named Eclipse after the very special jet that transported the turtles. The Eclipse 500 aircraft is one of the lightest, most fuel efficient jets in the world. Click here to learn more about Eclipse Aerospace. Also, be sure to check out the New England Aquarium Marine Animal Rescue Blog that was written when the hybrid was first admitted.

Christi carries Eclipse to her new tank

We would like to thank all that have helped these animals thus far. Huge thanks to all involved their initial rescue and rehabilitation in New England, especially the good folks at the New England Aquarium. Thanks to DuBose Griffin from SCDNR for the fast transport permits, to Sea Turtle Rescue Volunteer Rachel Brennan and her husband, Tim for making the first call to find a flight for these turtles, to James Spatzer who made the call to Mason Holland that ultimately got the turtles here, to all the folks at Atlantic Aviation in Charleston, SC, and especially to Mason Holland and Andy Smith from North American Jet. We are so grateful!

Kelly Thorvalson
Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager