All Entries in the "Animal News" Category
The Inside Scoop
To investigate what is really going on inside we took Patty to WHOI for another CAT scan, so what did the ‘cat’ have to say about the turtle ?
There is a new shell forming under the pink tissue we call the pseudo-shell, this is good news but at this point the new shell is not [...]
Thanks Tobey Hospital !
The Animal Care staff is very grateful to the generous donation of a Narkomed anesthesia unit from Tobey Hospital and particularly for the help from Robert Casmira to coordinate this effort. This fully functional unit, while no longer the state-of-the-art for human anesthesia, is more advanced then the vast majority of veterinary units and has [...]
Shell Game
Patty continues to loose aspects of her top shell, called the carapace, secondary to the damage caused by the exposure to freezing temperatures almost a year ago. The delayed tissue lost is a consequence of micro-vascular damage and a lost of blood flow to the shell (avascular necrosis) which resulted in bone death. Patty is [...]
Ultrasound for Patty
Today, Dr. Williams performed an ultrasound scan on Patty in order to assess her liver and urinary bladder. Patty’s infected shell requires antibiotics, however these medications can be hard on the liver. In order to watch for liver damage, Dr. Williams periodically draws blood samples and submits them for testing. He uses ultrasound to image [...]
What to do if you see a stranded seal
While walking my dog on the beach in Sandwich this evening, I came across some beachgoers looking at something on the beach. With Shanti on leash, I wandered a little closer to check out the situation. Without getting too close, I could see the “something” was a young seal pup.
I called the IFAW Marine Mammal [...]
Seals and Climate Change
Finally I thought about seals. Seals are adaptable. Seals can handle temperature variation. Sounds good so far!
Many seals depend on the ice for pupping…. uh oh.
According to a Climate Institute report by Luisanna Carillo-Rubio, harp seal pups are already dying due to lack of sea ice on which they rest. Additionally, seals’ prey species such [...]
Whales and Dolphins and Climate Change
So then I started wondering – what about cetaceans? Heck, wouldn’t a whale, dolphin, or porpoise love climate change? More water, warmer water, more places to forage. Turns out, that’s not the case….
According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society: “Changes in sea temperature, freshening of seawater, sea level rise, loss of icy polar habitats [...]
Sea Turtles and Climate Change
As this week’s United Nations Convention on Climate Change wraps up in Copenhagen, I thought it would be worthwhile to consider the effects of climate change on sea turtles.
According to the Sea Turtle Restoration Project, who recently completed a report on the topic and presented it in Copenhagen, sea turtles are impacted by climate change [...]
Coming out of their shell….
When the little diamondback terrapin hatchlings arrived several weeks ago, they were pretty quiet. They spent a lot of time huddled inside their shells in the corners of their tanks.
Now, however, they seem to be coming out of their shells! Each is exploring his or her environment. Each seems to be feeling more comfortable in [...]
Have you ever seen a turtle this tiny?
Eight tiny new turtles now call the National Marine Life Center their temporary home. These diamondback terrapin youngsters hatched too late in the season to survive the cold winter. Weighing a mere 4.1 grams (0.14 ounces), the smallest hatchling is only 25.4 mm (~ 1 inch) in length.
Diamondback terrapins live in salt marshes, mud flats, [...]
Eat your vegetables!
The National Marine Life Center’s red-bellied cooter hatchlings are growing like mad! Could it be because they are eating their vegetables???
The vegetable of choice (per the Massachusetts Endangered Species Program headstart protocol!) is romaine lettuce, supplemented by a reptile vitamin called Reptomin. Our largest cooter, #8 – affectioniately known as “Scorpion” because of a funny [...]
Shell Game
Patty’s shell (carapace) is finally starting to show some signs of healing but remains unprotected by the hard surface we associate with the shells of turtles on much of its surface. This protective outer layer of keratin (the same material that makes up or hair) will have to form after some more healing, but Patty [...]
Eight new Red Bellied Cooters Arrive!
Eight 1 1/2 week old Northern Red Bellied Cooters (Pseudemys rubiventris) arrived at NMLC today around 2pm. Volunteer Linda Jackson and I drove to the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species offices in Westborough and picked up 8 cooters for our facility and 20 cooters that will be disbursed among other groups in Cape Cod, [...]
Last Red Bellied Cooter of the 2008-2009 Head start class released!
It was an overcast day as the three of us ascended upon Great Quitticas Pond on the Lakeville/Middleboro line to release the last of the Red Bellied Cooters from the head start class 2008-2009. There were three people and a dog there fishing and enjoying the area. Lori and Tim Benson have taken care of [...]
5 Endangered Northern Red Bellied Cooters Released
The National Marine Life Center released five endangered Northern Red Bellied Cooters today at Great Quittacas Pond in Middleborough, MA. These five turtles were ones that had gone through the headstart program run by the state, and unfortunately were not big enough to be released with the rest of the headstart turtles on June 1st, [...]
growing, growing, soon to be gone . . .
While all six of the Red-bellied cooters from the NMLC class of 2009 were successfully released, a batch of six animals were referred to our center for additional care and growth. All of which they are doing admirably, and perhaps too well. Their growth has been rapid and the growth line (suture) between the scales [...]
Life’s a Beach … for “Patty”
Okay, maybe it is a kiddie’s pool, but the sand is real and the sunshine is divine. For the first time since she was found nearly frozen to death on St. Patrick’s Day in Wellfleet Harbor, “Patty” ventured into the open air to bask in July sunshine on Thursday. The full story of her rescue [...]
NMLC Music Video “Pearl Diver”
Enjoy our exciting new National Marine Life Center music video called “Pearl Diver,” artistically created by Jul3ia Richard and Evan Kaigle with post-production editing by Turtle Journal. Jul3ia’s driving rhythm simulates the release of rescued sea turtles back into the ocean, while Evan’s moving images evoke the joy of the National Marine Life Center today and paint the promise of [...]
NMLC Critter Tank
Can there be anything more exciting to children than a Critter Tank? I think not. Snails and shrimp and crabs, oh my! Children become entranced watching lady (calico) crabs dancing around the tank. Then there are the too proud hermit crabs parading over the rock floor to show off their latest homes, yet coveting everyone else’s shell at [...]
Diamondback Terrapin Release!!
The National Marine Life Center released four headstart Diamondback Terrapins at Turtle Point, Lieutenant Island, Wellfleet, MA. The tiny turtles weighed only 5.5 grams when they were brought to NMLC last October, after having hatched too late in the season to survive the winter in the wild. Now an average of 56 grams – a [...]
