Shell Shocked

Shell Shocked: Monterey Bay Aquarium acquires ten turtle tots

Monterey Bay Aquarium acquires ten turtle tots.

Friday, July 2, 2010

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is rotating through its sea turtle lineup, and this time it’s out with the old, in with the new—and adorable.

The Aquarium acquired 10 six-inch long two-pound juvenile green sea turtles—roughly the size of dinner plates—five of which are already on exhibit. The turtles were part of a “clutch” of 82 turtles born at Sea World in October 2009. Of the group, 40 turtles will be tagged and released to the wild, and the rest will serve as ambassadors in various institutions.

The aquarium’s special exhibition “Hot Pink Flamingos: Tales of Hope in a Changing Sea” will be moving two older green sea turtles and two black sea turtles behind the scenes to make way for five of the juvenile green sea turtles, which the aquarium received on June 24 from Sea World in San Diego.

Young turtles are notably more active than their older counterparts, and can be observed spending much of their time in the water, sometimes even sleeping in the water with their front flippers folded up over their head.

The turtles that have been moved out of the exhibit will be returning to the public eye when the million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit re-opens in summer 2011.