AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ wintry weather this week brought plenty of cool air and snow to parts of the coast — and sea turtles are, decidedly, not a fan.
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department collaborated with Texas Game Wardens and other rescue partners to help save sea turtles impacted by the winter storm. As freezing temperatures blasted the coast, many turtles were left “cold-stunned” and in need of rehabilitation.
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The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department collaborated with Texas Game Wardens and other rescue partners to help save sea turtles impacted by the winter storm. (Courtesy Texas Parks & Wildlife Department) -
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department collaborated with Texas Game Wardens and other rescue partners to help save sea turtles impacted by the winter storm. (Courtesy Texas Parks & Wildlife Department)
Cold-stunned turtles are ones that become hypothermic because of intense cold weather, according to the National Park Service. This is due to sea turtles being ectothermic, or cold-blooded, and unable to regulate their own body temperatures.
Once water temperatures dip below roughly 50° Fahrenheit, turtles become lethargic and lose the ability to swim, floating to the service and becoming liable to be hit by boats or washed ashore.
“If not rescued quickly, these defenseless animals often die of shock, predation, or trauma due to boat strike,” the National Park Service said.
Here in Texas, many cold-stunned turtles are discovered along the shorelines or inlets of the Laguna Madre, bordering near Padre Island. Due to the shallowness of waters there, National Park Service experts said temperatures can quickly change before sea turtles can swim out to the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
