Lunchable is quite a feisty turtle!

Lunchable may sound like a snack, but this green sea turtle is serving up a story of resilience.  

Lunchable was brought to our East Coast Zoological Foundation’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, arriving the day after Valentine’s Day. This sea turtle had suffered from blunt force trauma to their carapace, leaving them with an open wound on top of their shell. The likely boat strike injury was evaluated by our expert veterinary team upon arrival, and a CT scan was performed to determine the extent of the wound. Luckily, Lunchable’s spine was not damaged. Our team cleaned up the injury and, after a couple of months of care, the carapace injury is almost completely healed! 

Lunchable’s flippers appear to have some bites taken out.

Lunchable also had noticeable old injuries on their flippers that appeared to be small bites taken by fish at an earlier time, earning them the food-inspired name. This is not an uncommon occurrence for small post-hatchling sea turtles who are pushed back onto the beach after a storm or high winds. 

“Many of these little sea turtles have what appear to be nibbles taken out of their flippers,” said Sea Turtle Program Manager Shanon. “We presume that fish take bites before the turtles get to swim away.” 

The injuries to the flippers were completely healed when the turtle arrived at the Rehabilitation Center, so only minor treatment was needed.  

While we have enjoyed getting to know Lunchable, this young turtle wouldn’t have needed our support if they had not been hit by a boat. If you’re a frequent boater on waterways where sea turtles live, remember that your actions have a great impact on this important keystone species. When taking your boat out on the water, remember to reduce your speed in marked areas and assign boat riders to look out for nearby marine life.  

By slowing down your speed, you give sea turtles swimming around your vessel more time to flee. Investing in a propeller guard is another great way to not only protect sea turtles, manatee and seagrass beds from harm, but also safeguard your boat from damage, too.     

We hope to send Lunchable back to their ocean home soon. We will keep you updated on their healing journey with us.   

Have you found a sea turtle that needs help? Visit this page or call the Sea Turtle Preservation Society at 321-206-0646. Want to help the Sea Turtle Healing Center? Support our Zoo, or view our Healing Center’s wishlist.