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Have you ever been swimming and gotten so cold your teeth chatter and your lips turn blue?

Sea turtles are reptiles (cold-blooded) that are very susceptible to quick changes in water temperature. Loggerheads that are suddenly exposed to very cold water (< 10 °C) become lethargic and float to the surface of the water. If the water temperature drops below 5-6 °C death can occur. To convert °C to °F use the following equation: °F = (°C x 1.8) + 32.

Loggerhead Turtle
A Loggerhead in rehab

Previous tracking studies have shown that juvenile loggerheads migrate south from the Chesapeake Bay (VA) in the fall, staying relatively close to the coast. Typically juveniles leave the North Carolina sounds in December and travel south around Cape Hatteras. By January, most are south of Cape Hatteras, with a few remaining off the coast of North Carolina at the edge of the Gulf Stream. It is hypothesized that cold-stunned animals do not leave the sounds and reach warmer water before the first significant cold weather causes inshore water temperatures to plummet.

Cold-stunned loggerheads can be found stranded on inshore and offshore beaches. Animals in the shallow protected sounds of inshore waters appear to be more susceptible because of quick changes in water temperature. With proper veterinary and husbandry care, these animals recover and can be released back to the wild.

Several rehabilitation facilities exist along the east coast of the United States, including the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) Rehabilitation Facility located at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. Visitors often ask what happens to rehabilitated turtles once they are released. Do they survive? Where do they go? Do they behave like other juvenile loggerheads? Satellite transmitters purchased from Wildlife Computers may provide the answers!

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"The Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) is an all-volunteer non-profit organization of people who support the continued and enhanced livelihood of sea turtles and their habitat on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Established in 1995, the group is a state-permitted monitoring organization for sea turtle activity from the Virginia state line to Oregon Inlet."
From the NEST Helping Sea Turtles Survive on the Outer Banks of North Carolina brochure

NEST volunteers look for sea turtle nests and/or stranded sea turtles, monitor nest sites, assist in the rehabilitation of stranded sea turtles and provide educational presentations and materials to residents and visitors of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Volunteers and donations are always needed to support efforts to preserve and protect sea turtles in NC! If you would like more information about NEST, please call the NEST line at (252) 441-8622, or visit www.nestonline.org for updates on hatchings and other NEST events.