Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Stunned Sea Turtles from the New England Aquarium

Each year, the New England Aquarium partners with a number of organizations to rescue and rehabilitate hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles with the goal of returning them to the wild. Learn more about how turtles get stranded, what it means to be cold-stunned, and how and why these turtles are rescued.

When are there sea turtles in Massachusetts?

Every summer, several species of sea turtles (including green, loggerhead, and Kemp’s ridley) enter Cape Cod Bay as they begin to inhabit coastal New England waters. During this time, the Bay offers ideal foraging and temperatures for these turtles. As fall approaches and water temperatures drop, sea turtles will start their migration back to warmer waters.

What is cold stunning, and why does it happen here?

Since turtles and other reptiles are ectothermic (cold-blooded), they rely on their surroundings to regulate their internal temperature. When air and water temperatures drop, so does their body temperature. When a turtle’s body temperature drops too low, it becomes cold-stunned, a type of reptilian hypothermia. This means its metabolism slows down, and it loses the ability to feed or swim.

This condition occurs frequently on the bay side of Cape Cod when migrating sea turtles are not able to move out of our cold waters in the fall. Sea turtles that use their innate navigation instincts will swim south to try to reach warmer waters, not realizing they need to navigate around the geographical “hook” shape of Cape Cod. Trapped in the cooling water of Cape Cod Bay, these turtles become cold-stunned and wash up on the area’s beaches. They suffer from a variety of problems, including pneumonia, hypothermia, dehydration, malnutrition, and frostbite. Occasionally, a turtle is found that also has damage from boat strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, or ingestion of plastic.

How are they rescued?

The New England Aquarium and Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary have a longstanding relationship when it comes to sea turtle rescue. Every year, Mass Audubon staff and volunteers patrol Cape Cod beaches during turtle stranding season, which typically lasts from late October into December, with the peak beginning in mid-November. Surviving turtles are brought to the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital at our Animal Care Center in Quincy, MA, the primary triage facility for cold-stunned turtles in New England.

Visit the New England Aquarium for more information on sea turtle rehabilitation.