Sea Turtles

Boba joined the CMA family in December 14, 2021. He was originally found floating on May 4, 2018, unable to dive, and taken to SeaWorld for rehabilitation. The initial examination showed that he had an old healed injury to the left side of his carapace (shell). A CT scan was performed and showed that the injury had impacted Boba’s spine, which was causing the buoyancy. During the rehabilitation process, Boba developed a mild case of fibropapilloma and was treated with surgical removal of the tumors. After being quarantined for a year, he is fibropapilloma free. Boba is our newest and smallest resident green sea turtle..

Snorkel is a loggerhead sea turtle who joined the CMA family in November 2018. The small turtle was found as a “washback,” a term used to describe a young sea turtle that washed ashore due to heavy winds and surf. Snorkel was found with damage to the upper beak and both eyes due to unknown trauma that occurred prior to the washback event. Snorkel is missing both nares (nasal openings generally located above the beak on a sea turtle), the upper jaw, and is blind. Although blind, Snorkel does respond quite well to tactile interaction. Therefore, our team will be seen interacting in a very different way than we do with our other sea turtles. Remember, these animals are federally protected, and the care we provide is specialized to ensure each animal continues to live a happy and healthy life with us.

Bailey joined the Clearwater Marine Aquarium family on November 12, 1989. Upon arrival, Bailey had pneumonia, a fractured front flipper, and a buoyancy disorder. Bailey overcame many of his initial challenges, but still retains his buoyancy disorder. Bailey suffers from paralysis that affects his buoyancy. Because his spine is fused with his carapace, he sustained permanent damage to his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from mid carapace due to what we believe was a fishing accident. This has caused long term difficulty with his GI tract that requires regular assessment. Bailey receives lots of attention from our staff, interns, and volunteers.

Daphne is a juvenile, female green sea turtle that originally stranded on Dog Island in Franklin County, Florida on January 5, 2018. She was rescued as part of a cold-stun event. She was originally rehabbed by Gulf Specimen in Panacea, FL and presented with an old, healed wound to the mid-carapace on the left side and rear buoyancy in water. Daphne now lives with several other rescued sea turtles at CMA in Mavis’s Rescue Hideaway.

Our gentle giant, Cocoa, was found by a fisherman floating near the Haulover Canal on February 28, 1999. Cocoa had deep propeller damage to his head, his right front flipper and plastron. Recovered by the Coast Guard, he arrived at Clearwater Marine Aquarium on March 1, 1999. Upon closer examination of his wounds, it was found that the most severe injuries were sustained on his head. The wound went through the roof of his skull, through his left eye, and down through his maxilla. Cocoa also had a variety of issues including a broken ulna in his right front flipper, a semi-healed fractured radius in his left front flipper, a ruptured right eye, and severed edges of the maxilla that would need to be surgically rejoined. Although Cocoa has overcome many obstacles, the trauma he received to his head did a substantial amount of damage, leaving him completely blind. Cocoa regained normal mobility in his flippers, and while he has the ability to swim normally, dive, and rest on the bottom, he is a unique case because he cannot forage nor locate food on his own. Every day, one of our Sea Turtle and Aquatic Biology team members gets into the pool with Cocoa and ensures he eats his squid, fish, and greens.

Cupid stranded on February 14, 2010, and found in Franklin County, Florida by Alligator Point Turtle Patrol. She was found with many abrasions to her face, a lot of barnacles on her carapace and a previous healed injury to her left rear flipper. Cupid was transferred to Clearwater Marine Aquarium in July 2010 from Gulf World Marine Park. Upon arrival, she was also treated for a buoyancy disorder. Cupid is a very good eater.  She is always very active during her feeds and often will solicit attention from team members.  She seems to enjoy swimming under and through various enrichment devices that she has in her habitat, often rubbing her flippers and shell on various surfaces provided to her. Cupid is now considered a sub-adult, based on the size of her shell.

Harold was found crawling on the beach in an overall healthy condition. However, when he was found he had a fibropapilloma tumor on his neck. He was admitted into Clearwater Marine Aquarium on July 18, 2010. Surgery to remove the tumors was performed successfully. Harold recovered from surgery and no new tumor growth was noted. However, Harold was unable to find and forage for food on his own. It was discovered he had some neurological issues affecting his eyesight, however, he can still see. Because vision impairment would limit his ability to forage and avoid predators in the wild, Harold is not considered releasable. He is a busy turtle, often preferring to swim laps in the habitat while other turtles take naps. Harold is also a movie star with his role as Mavis in Dolphin Tale 2.

Max has been a resident at Clearwater Marine Aquarium since January 12, 1984, making him one of the first resident turtles at CMA. Max sustained a very severe head injury that left him mostly blind, disqualifying him from release. Max has had to make adjustments to find his food and often takes a little longer than others to eat. He can see best out of his right eye and often circles to the right to see around his habitat. Max most often lives with another Kemp’s ridley, Rob. They are often found sleeping together in their favorite spot. He is a more active sea turtle and often will be found cruising through the water while the other turtles take naps. His favorite source of enrichment is eating ice toys colored with food dye.

Rob was found on September 3, 2001, and admitted to Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Rob, who was a juvenile at the time, weighed only 7 lbs, and had a wound to both his upper and lower jaw on his right side. Although this was an old wound that was healed over, the rhombus on his top jaw was sliced all the way down to the bone. His injuries made him difficult to feed in the beginning, but things began to turn around when he began foraging on his own in mid-November. Rob had two minor surgeries in 2008 to ensure his jaw would heal entirely with no future problems. Today, Rob has come a long way from the 7 lb little guy stranded in 2001. Rob continues to have some difficulty catching his food and eating it easily, so he remains at the aquarium to ensure he gets a diet to fit his needs. Rob is a very easygoing turtle who loves his squid, and spends most of his time napping. Rob shares an exhibit with another male Kemp’s Ridley, Max. His favorite type of enrichment is finding different hideaways and shelters in his exhibit.

Titus was brought to Clearwater Marine Aquarium from Titusville, FL on January 14, 2002. She had an old propeller injury, a few small treatable Fibropapilloma tumors, and a buoyancy disorder because of the injury to her shell. Titus had her tumors surgically removed. Once it was determined that Titus would not be a candidate for release due to her inability to remain submerged, she was returned to Clearwater Marine Aquarium to become a permanent member of our sea turtle family. Titus eats various greens and is often seen submerging herself under rocks and ledges in her habitat to take naps.

Stubby was brought to Clearwater Marine Aquarium on May 9, 2001, because she had sustained severe injuries from a monofilament fishing line entanglement. Both of her front flippers were missing and pieces of her rear flippers were missing. We believe this was due to other opportunistic animals foraging on them. Stubby’s wounds healed, but she continued to float and is unable to dive because she lacks front flippers. Even though she has had to greatly adjust how she gets around, Stubby is one of the friendliest turtles at the aquarium. She quickly swims over to “greet” anyone who visits her pool, she loves eating greens, blowing bubbles and receiving a lot of tactile from our interns and volunteers during her feeding sessions.

Ula was found by a boater floating at the surface in Pinellas County on April 2, 2013, covered in moss. When found, she had a humped shell instead of a smooth, rounded carapace. This prevents her from remaining submerged, making her non-releasable. It is believed that she suffered a trauma in the wild, due to a boat strike, and then the carapace healed itself but misshaped. Ula was a picky eater initially, and has a specialized diet of romaine lettuce, avocado, and zucchini; however, she will devour squid often. One byproduct of the damage to her shell and spinal cord, which is fused to the back of her shell, is that she is hyper-sensitive to touch on the rear end of her shell. Ula interacts with all kinds of enrichment, but especially things she can rub her back on!