APOLLO BEACH, FL. – As people around the globe celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, The Florida Aquarium is preparing to release nearly a quarter of its endangered sea turtles back into the wild.
Five turtles, two Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, and three green sea turtles will be released tomorrow, Thursday, June 17, on Florida’s east coast after being cared for and rehabbed at The Florida Aquarium’s $4.1 million Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center in Apollo Beach.
Currently, The Florida Aquarium is caring for 23 endangered sea turtles at its facility in Apollo Beach.
All sea turtle rehabilitation work conducted by The Florida Aquarium is done with the approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) under conditions not harmful to marine turtles and authorized under conservation activities pursuant to FWC MTP-21-179.
DID YOU KNOW:
- Roughly 90% of all sea turtle nesting in the United States takes place on Florida’s beaches.
- There are seven different species of sea turtles including Flatback, Green, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Olive Ridley.
- Of the six sea turtle species found in U.S. waters or that nest on U.S. Beaches, all are designated as either threatened or endangered.
- Sea turtles can live up to 50-years or longer.
- Leatherback sea turtles can travel more than 10,000 miles every year.
- Green sea turtles can stay underwater for up to five hours.
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