World's Rarest Sea Turtle Is New Resident at Sarasota Aquarium
The Kemp's ridley sea turtle cannot be returned to the wild. A
new sea turtle named “Caleb” is now on exhibit publicly in The
Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory, which is providing the
turtle a permanent home because it has impaired swimming
abilities and cannot be returned to the wild. Caleb is the first
Kemp’s ridley turtle — considered the most endangered sea turtle
species on Earth — to become a permanent resident in Mote’s
exhibit Sea Turtles: Ancient Survivors. The exhibit also houses
loggerhead and green turtles that could not be released, has a
hospital for hatchling sea turtles and features educational
displays about Mote’s sea turtle conservation and research,
highlighting how the public can help sea turtles survive. Caleb,
a juvenile turtle weighing 20 pounds with an upper shell nearly
14 inches long, was rescued Nov. 9, 2011 on Ormond Beach and
brought to the Volusia County Marine Science Center in Ponce
Inlet.