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Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles Wash Ashore in Florida and Texas

By Andy Zunz | Updated On January 5, 2018
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Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles Wash Ashore in Florida and Texas

The unusual cold snap hitting the United States is doing more than driving ill-prepared Floridians into the depths of their closet — it’s stunning sea turtles.

Hundreds of turtles have been collected on the shores of Florida and Texas after falling victim to cold stunning, a “reaction that occurs when sea turtles are exposed to prolonged cold water temperatures,” according to NOAA.

The cold-blooded turtles go into a state of shock when water temperatures fall below 50 degrees F, and now volunteers and conservationists are working to help rehabilitate them before the cold stunning can lead to death.

The unusually cold weather hitting the Sunshine State has caused water temperatures to fall below 50 around St. Augustine and along the coastline moving north, according to NOAA.

If you see a stranded turtle in Florida, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-404-FWCC.

But sea turtles are not the only marine animals affected by the cold. Sharks have been found frozen on the shoreline along Cape Cod. Several thresher sharks were found frozen solid in late December. Scientists believe that the sharks may have been caught in the bay, which would prevent them from moving south to warmer waters.