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Willy the Sea Turtle

Page history last edited by June Shanahan 11 years ago

Sea Turtle Camp Video from J Sun Productions on Vimeo.

Message from Professor Nancy to Super Brains - 2/15/11

"It is such a joy to have an opportunity to view the world through the wide-eyed innocence of these children. I'm already amazed at their natural curiosity and wisdom, not to mention their enthusiasm for all things good in this world. Thank you for letting me be a part of your children's learning experience. I love, love, love it, and it means more to me than you may realize!! :) Flipper hugs to you!" 

 

News Broadcast Video (1)

News Broadcast Video (2)

Slide Show of Hatchlings Emerging from the Sand

Click here to see a sea turtle coloring page

 

Professor Nancy is Coordinator for the Wrightsville Beach Sea Turtle Project in North Carolina.

     

 

 

 

  

 
 
 
 

 

Friends Helping Friends

Plastic gets stuck in the sea turtle's digestive system when they mistake it for jellyfish.

Can you see the caruncle, sometimes called the egg tooth?

Prehistoric Sea Turtle

Can you locate Professor Nancy in this recent photo? We met in West Virginia for our 30 year high school reunion, and a big topic of conversation was.....drum roll.....

                              SEA TURTLES!!!!! 

The entire week-end, I couldn't stop looking at her dangling leatherback turtle earrings and necklace! Professor Nancy did not stay in West Virginia very long, due to her need to make her way back to her home in North Carolina where she is affectionately known as "the turtle lady."

 

Sea turtles continue to lumber up on the beaches of North Carolina, and our friend, Professor Nancy, is making a difference in their lives and ours.  I can imagine her silver turtle earrings glistening in the sunlight as I write this.  

 

Sea Turtle Games 

Sea Turtle Slide Show

 



Comments (Show all 54)

Professor Nancy said

at 7:42 pm on Feb 13, 2011

My worst experience with a sea turtle happened during the summer of 2009. I got a call from some boaters that had seen another boat hit a sea turtle in Banks Channel at Wrightsville Beach. The boat that hit the turtle did not stop to help the injured animal, but other boaters did. After they called me I rushed down to the scene to find a beautiful loggerhead that had been horribly wounded when the propeller on the boat cut a deep laceration into her neck. The large arteries in the turtle's neck had been cut and she was bleeding profusely. I loaded the turtle into my vehicle and called another volunteer to come and help me transport the poor turtle to the sea turtle hospital. My helper drove while I sat with the turtle working to keep her calm and trying to stop the bleeding. She seemed comforted as I gently held my hand and the towels over the terrible wound. Sadly, the turtle died during the night from the loss of blood. I cried for many days after that, and I still feel very sad to this day because of what happened to that sweet, gentle turtle.

Alex said

at 8:51 pm on Feb 13, 2011

Hi Professor Nancy! I LOVE sea turtles! They are so cute! I have a two quick questions for you! First of all, how does it feel, to know that you are making a difference for all sea turtles? And second, overall, about how many sea turtles do you think you have rescued??

I have wrote a poem for you!

So much depends upon,
Rescuing a small sea turtle,
Changing its live forever,
But your not just changing their lives,
YOU ARE CHANGING THE WHOLE WORLD!!!

♥, Alex

Professor Nancy said

at 12:47 pm on Feb 18, 2011

Hi Alex,
First of all, I absolutely love your poem!! Would you mind if I print it off and post it on my fridge? Your words are very inspiring and remind me of the many reasons I love being involved in sea turtle rescue. I am very, very honored to have been given the opportunity to assist with the rescue and protection of sea turtles in NC. This has truly been one of the most meaningful and fulfilling things I have ever done in my lifetime! It is hard for me to say exactly how many sea turtles I have rescued, but based on my stranding records, I have transported close to fifty, or more, live sea turtles to the sea turtle hospital on Topsail Island. Sadly, though, the turtles do not always survive, despite our very best efforts. I can tell you that because of the efforts of the many dedicated volunteers at the sea turtle hospital on Topsail, we have released over 200 healthy, happy sea turtles back into mother ocean.

Professor Nancy said

at 12:49 pm on Feb 18, 2011

You can read about every one of our patients and see photos of our release celebrations at www.seaturtlehospital.org. At the bottom on the right hand side of the homepage, you will also find a link to our satellite tracking program and one of our turtles, Sennet. Sennet and some of our other turtles were sent home with a tracking device affixed to their carapace. These devices send signals to satellites in space each day enabling us to follow our turtles' journeys throughout the ocean once they are released. It is an awesome opportunity to be able to see where the turtles go as they continue on their great oceanic adventures!

Professor Nancy said

at 10:02 pm on Feb 13, 2011

I would like to share the following story with you: A boy that came to one of my presentations last year was on vacation this summer at Ocean Isle Beach. He saw many people gathered around something on the beach. When he went to see what they were doing, he saw that they were holding a baby sea turtle they found that had washed up in the surf. He went to get his parents and told them they had to go and rescue the baby sea turtle. And they did!! During the presentation, he had learned about the Sea Turtle Hospital on Topsail Island, so they called the hospital and the little turtle was taken there. Because that young boy knew what to do and stood up for what he believed in, he saved the hatchling's life!! We were all very grateful to him for his quick action and bravery!

Professor Nancy said

at 10:18 pm on Feb 13, 2011

Hi Sarah,
This question has a bit of a complicated answer. Some researchers believe there are eight species of sea turtles, while others argue that there are only seven. Here is the reason: There are two turtles that are very similar, yet also different. They are the Pacific Black Sea Turtle and the Green Sea Turtle. Some scientists believe they are different enough to be considered two separate species. Other scientists believe they are not that distinctly different and that the Black Turtle is simply a variation of the Green Sea Turtle. Therefore, you may sometimes read or hear there are eight species; the Green, Black, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Hawksbill, Flatback, Kemp's Ridley and Olive Ridley. Or, you may learn there are only seven; all of the above minus the Black Turtle. What do you think; are the Green and Black sea turtle are of the same species, or two different speicies?

rachelscobee said

at 8:26 am on Feb 14, 2011

Dear Professor Nancy,
We are so incredibly fortunate to have you as an expert resource. Your responses bring tears to my eyes...you make such a difference in the lives of turtles and in our lives as well.

Professor Nancy said

at 10:42 am on Feb 14, 2011

Hi Noel,
I have rescued or helped with the rescue of approximately six live Kemp's Ridley sea turtles. We have had many Kemp's, including our famous Willy, that have been rescued, rehabbed, and released from the sea turtle hospital over the years. Our most famous turtle, Lenny, is a Kemp's Ridley. You can see Lenny and read all about him at www.seaturtlehospital.org. He is one special turtle!!

sanjanascobee said

at 10:48 am on Feb 14, 2011

Deat Professor Nancy,
First of all, I want to thank you for answering our questions. Most sea turtle environmentalists, like yourself, would be too busy saving the cute turtles like Willy ( top of page). You are such an inspiration for me and for turtles! Okay. back to the questions. #1: Do turtles have some kind of internal magnet, like birds, to find their way back to where they hatched? #2: How long have you been saving sea turtles?

Professor Nancy said

at 6:31 pm on Feb 18, 2011

Hi Sanjana,
It is truly my pleasure to answer the thoughtful questions of bright young students such as yourself and your classmates! Scientists believe sea turtle hatchlings complete an imprinting process as they make their way from their nests across the sandy beach to the surf. They are able to memorize the location of the beach of their birth by tuning into signals from the magnetic fields deep within the earth. After navigating the earth's oceans for many years, adult female sea turtles will return to that same general location to deposit their own clutches of eggs on sandy beaches in the area. It is thought loggerhead sea turtles take up to 30 years to reach adulthood, yet they are able to find their way back to the beaches from whence they came. Would you agree that sea turtles are amazing, mysterious creatures?
I have been a volunteer involved with sea turtle rescue since 1995. This summer will be my 16th year on the beach with the turtles and I can hardly wait until the they return, once again, to leave behind their precious eggs on our beach!

Professor Nancy said

at 10:55 am on Feb 14, 2011

Hi Salvador,
It is believed that as the tiny hatchlings spill from their sandy nests on the beaches and make their way to the ocean, they each go through an imprinting process. By imprinting, the turtles are able to basically record their location on the planet at the time. Our theory is that the turtles use the signals from the magnetic fields deep down inside the earth to identify and memorize their location. After swimming in the ocean for many, many years until reaching adulthood, female sea turtles are able to return to the general location of their birth to deposit their own eggs on the sandy shorelines in the same area. Quite an amazing feat, don't you agree??

salvadorscobee said

at 12:05 pm on Feb 14, 2011

yes i totally agree. i mean if they have a certain organ suited to recognize their location using the magnetic feilds of the earth then remembering the location it's like remembering your house. Like certain areas may have a stronger magnetic pulse than others and they can remember their trail of magnetic pulses of the earth to and fro from their area of birth to where they are now.

Professor Nancy said

at 8:35 pm on Feb 14, 2011

You are exactly right, Salvador! What an excellent way to explain it!!

tianascobee said

at 11:45 am on Feb 14, 2011

dear nacy,
how much baby sea turtles proble survie

Professor Nancy said

at 10:24 pm on Feb 15, 2011

Hi Tiana,
Scientists believe that only approximately one out of one hundred sea turtle hatchlings survives the first few days after emerging from the nest. Beyond that, it is thought that only one out of one thousand sea turtle hatchlings survives to reach an age of adulthood. Based on those estimates, we know that for sea turtles, life in the ocean is fraught with challenges and dangers!!

Riley :) said

at 11:46 am on Feb 14, 2011

That is so sad, but thanks for answering!

rachelscobee said

at 11:48 am on Feb 14, 2011

About what is the average percentage of sea turtles that survive a year?

~PLURBY~

Professor Nancy said

at 8:58 pm on Feb 17, 2011

Hi Rachel,
Scientists believe that only one in one hundred loggerhead sea turtles hatchlings survive their first few days out of the nest. Out of those hatchlings that do survive, it is estimated that only one in one thousand will survive to adulthood. The world's oceans are not a very friendly place for sea turtles these days....the marine environment is filled with danger!

Professor Nancy said

at 1:04 pm on Feb 18, 2011

Oops....I just realized I answered your question twice, Rachel. Oh well, everyone always likes to get two-for-one, I guess!! :)

Professor Nancy said

at 11:52 am on Feb 18, 2011

Hi Rachel,
It is believed that only one in one hundred loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings survive their long swim from the east coast to the gulf stream once they leave the beaches of their birth. Out of those hatchlings, scientists believe only one in one thousand will survive to adulthood. Life in the ocean is obviously very challenging for sea turtles these days!!

patrickscobee said

at 11:49 am on Feb 14, 2011

professor nancy is it diffucult to keep care of sea turtles

Professor Nancy said

at 1:24 pm on Feb 17, 2011

Hi Patrick,
The turtles at the sea turtle hospital require very special care and lots of TLC. The tanks are cleaned and every turtle is fed and given a bath each and every day. In addition to that, any turtles that have remaining medical issues recieve the necessary treatment to make them well. This may be in the form of an injection, or wound care such as flushing with saline, bandage changes, and triple anitbiotic, and some of the turtles are even given physical therapy. That's right; if a turtle has a flipper injury resulting in limited movement, we give them physical therapy to get them swimming again. So you see, it takes lots of volunteers to care for the many sea turtles that find refuge at the sea turtle hospital!

jacobscobee said

at 11:57 am on Feb 14, 2011

Professor nancy how many turtles did you save????

Professor Nancy said

at 11:32 am on Feb 16, 2011

Hi Jacob,
It is very hard for me to say exactly how many sea turtles I have saved. Some of the live turtles I have been able to transport to the sea turtle hospital for care, ultimately do not survive, despite our best efforts. Many times when turtles strand (wash up onto the beach or into the near shore waters), they are so sick or so badly injured, it is too late for us to save them. I am happy to say, though, that with the expert care given by all the volunteers at the sea turtle hospital on Topsail Island, we have celebrated the release of well over 200 rehabilitated sea turtles back into the great Atlantic! Be sure to check out our web site at www.seaturtlehospital.org to see photos of our annual release celebrations. You can also view the travels of some of our released turtles, such as Sennet, who was fitted with a satellite tracking device before returning home. You will find the link to the satellite tracking page on the right side of the home page near the bottom.

conradscobee said

at 12:03 pm on Feb 14, 2011

Professor Nancy is it hard to find the turtle ,because you might get mixest up with sea wead .

Professor Nancy said

at 11:16 am on Feb 16, 2011

Hi Conrad,
It is for that exact reason the loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings swim a long way from the east coast beaches of their birth to the floating patches of seaweed near the gulf stream. This seaweed is called Sargassum. It may take the hatchlings a few days to swim that distance! However, once they reach the seaweed, it provides them with a safe place to hide from predators looking for a tasty snack. Additionally, many other tiny organisms also reside in this vegetation giving the hatchlings plenty of food to forage on. Here they have an opportunity to grow into juvenile loggerhead sea turtles, approximately eight to ten years of age. Weighing in at nearly 100 pounds at this age, they then begin to return to coastal near shore waters to forage during the warm summer months.

Professor Nancy said

at 8:55 pm on Feb 14, 2011

Hi Claudia,
I am happy to say that I have never seen anyone kill a baby sea turtle. That is definitely a good thing because I would be very, very upset and angry, too! I have sometimes seen people do harmful things to the baby sea turtles when they are actually trying to help them. For example: sometimes people find baby sea turtles washed up on the beach or in the surf during the day. Many times, when this happens, they will swim the hatchlings out past the breakers and let them go. Sea turtles usually leave their nests at night when the cover of darkness can help protect them from predators. If a baby sea washes up on a beach during the day it is usually because the little turtle is lost and exhausted or even injured. In that case, I would probably take the hatchling to the sea turtle hospital for care and to give it time to rest and grow strong. When instead forced to swim in the open ocean during the day by people trying to help them, the hatchlings more than likely become prey to a hungry predator. Therefore it is always wise to check with experts or rehabilitators before trying to "help" wildlife so we can make sure we are truly doing the best thing for the animals.

claudiascobee said

at 9:58 am on Feb 18, 2011

That is so good and you write alot, I like that about you I love to write infact langue atrs is my best subject. When I grow up I want to be a Writer!

Professor Nancy said

at 11:56 am on Feb 18, 2011

Hi Claudia,
I love to write, too, and I wish I had studied to become a writer. Follow your dreams, Claudia; you can be whatever you want to be. Just go for it!

Professor Nancy said

at 8:59 pm on Feb 14, 2011

Thank you for letting me know, Noel, and for being considerate and thoughtful enough to help out your friend, David!

Professor Nancy said

at 9:12 pm on Feb 14, 2011

Hi Troy,
Good question!! Sea turtles may strand, or wash up on a beach either dead or alive. One very important thing to understand is that if a sea turtle washes up on the beach alive it is because it is either very sick or badly injured. Therefore, they should never be placed back in the ocean. The local sea turtle protection program or beach rangers should be called right away with a report of the sighting and the exact location of the turtle. They will come out and take the turtle to an aquarium or rehabilitation center for the type of care the turtle may need. Dead sea turtles should also be called in so that a stranding report can be submitted to the responsible agency and so the animal can be buried in a respectful manner.

troyscobee said

at 9:51 am on Feb 18, 2011

thank you so much professor nancy that uis a question i have been wanting to ask for a very long time!

Professor Nancy said

at 9:28 pm on Feb 14, 2011

Hi Khalilah,
I moved to the coast of North Carolina in 1981. After living here for 14 years, I learned for the first time ever that we had nesting sea turtles on our very own beach. I could not believe it; all those many hours I had spent on Wrightsville Beach and I never knew we had amazing, magnificent sea turtles nesting there!! Volunteers with Wrightsville Beach Sea Turtle Project had just started monitoring our beach for nests the summer before. I could hardly wait to sign up to become a volunteer!! My son, age 7 at the time, and I signed on as volunteers right away. In no time, those beautiful turtles had wrapped their flippers around my heart and I was totally hooked! That was in 1995 and I have been involved in sea turtle rescue for sixteen awesome years since then.

Professor Nancy said

at 7:26 pm on Feb 15, 2011

Hi Brian,
Researchers believe sea turtles go through an imprinting process as they flipper their way from nests on the beach to the surf. During this ritual, the hatchlings are able to memorize their location upon the earth. It is believed they use signals from the magnetic fields of the earth to identify the place of their birth. After traveling the world's ocean for many years, adult female turtles are then able to locate and return to that same general area to deposit their own clutches. Would you agree that sea turtles are truly amazing creatures?

elizabethscobee said

at 8:14 pm on Feb 16, 2011

Hey Professor Nancy,
I was wondering were do most Sea turtles lay their eggs!!! I REALLY want to know. :D

Professor Nancy said

at 8:51 pm on Feb 17, 2011

Hi Elizabeth,
In the United States, most loggerhead sea turtles nest on southeast coast beaches, with the greatest majority of the nesting taking place in the state of Florida. Another major nesting beache for loggerheads is in the Middle East on Masirah Island off Oman. Green sea turtles nest primarily on the Hawaiian Islands, while the Leatherback nests are distributed throughout the world. The Hawksbill sea turtle may also nest on various beaches throughout the world, though they are the most tropical of all the sea turtles. Australian Flatback sea turtles inhabit only the coastal waters of Australia and their largest nesting ground is on Crab Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Ninety five percent of nesting female Kemp's Ridley sea turtles deposit their clutches at or near Rancho Nuevo on the East Coast of Mexico. Olive Ridleys, on the other hand, nest throughout the year on beaches in Central America. Both speicies of Ridleys are known to commonly nest during the day, and often form nesting arribadas. Can you tell me what an arribada is?

Erin said

at 3:51 pm on Mar 23, 2011

I am still in love with sea turtles!!!! Even after last year!!!!

Cecily 2015 said

at 6:25 pm on Jan 28, 2016

I love this page!!! Sea turtles are so cool. Those baby turtles are so cute!!!!:)

Emily 2015 said

at 4:54 pm on Feb 1, 2016

This page is so awesome!!!!!! i love sea turtles

Em B 2015 said

at 11:23 am on Feb 3, 2016

hi professor nancy, my name is emily, but because there are two emilys in this class i am called "em". i wanted to ask you why you became a sea turtle lover? did you see any when you were little?

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