52 sea turtles stunned by the cold up north are warming up in Florida

Retirees aren't the only ones fleeing the northeast in winter! 52 endangered turtles suffering from "cold stun" are recovering in the Sunshine State. The Kemp ridley sea turtles flew via private plane from Massachusetts to Florida, where they will continue their rehabilitation. Because sea turtles are cold-blooded, they are unable to swim properly when they're too chilly.

Fifty-two endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are rehabbing at four facilities in Florida following a flight on a private plane from the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts. The turtles arrived in Tampa on Tuesday, and 16 were sent to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, officials said in a news release. All of the turtles were experiencing a condition known as “cold-stun” from the frigid New England waters. The other turtles were taken to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, The Florida Aquarium in Tampa and Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Jupiter. Sea turtles are cold-blooded reptiles and adapt to the temperature of their surroundings. During prolonged exposure to icy water temperatures, their circulatory systems slow down and the turtles are unable to swim or function properly. The turtles will continue rehabbing at the aquarium, where guests are welcome to visit and watch their journey. Eventually the turtles will be returned to their natural habitat. Florida saw a record number of sea turtle nests this year. Preliminary state statistics show more than 133,840 loggerhead turtle nests, breaking a record set in 2016. Same for green turtles, where the estimate of at least 76,500 nests is well above the previous mark set in 2017. High sea turtle nest numbers also have been reported in South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia, although not all set records like Florida.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened....