All Entries Tagged With: "headstart program"
Diamond-backed Terrapin RELEASE 6/14!
On June 14th our eight diamond-backed terrapin hatchlings are going home! These small turtles, listed as “threatened” by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, hatched too late in the season last year to survive the cold winter. They’ve spent the past 7 1/2 months in a nice, warm environment at the National Marine Life Center. Daily, volunteers [...]
Red Belly Release TOMORROW 5/28
The following is a Media Advisory from MassWildlife: WILDLIFE AGENCY INVITES PUBLIC TO RELEASE OF RARE TURTLES As part of a conservation effort led by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), the public is invited to join Mary Griffin, Commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game, and MassWildlife staff biologists to help release [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Examined, cleared, and marked
The diamond-back terrapins were given a medical exam to see if they were considered “fit” for their return to the wild ( Diamondback Terrapin Release! June 25, 2009 ) and I’m happy to report all four terrapins passed with flying colors. Permanent identification is critical with all the animals we release, and these little turtles [...]
Red-Tummy Turtle Rehab at the National Marine Life Center
CapeCast: Red-tummy turtle rehab Today on Cape Cod Times’ CapeCast: The National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay has become a nursey for a half-dozen endangered Northern red-bellied cooters. Watch them wiggle and wow. ============================================= Cape Cod Times, 16 June 2009, Front Page Above the Fold: Photo by Paul Blackmore of the Cape Cod Times [...]
New Batch of Northern Red-Bellied Cooters Arrives
The National Marine Life Center turned in its batch of six headstarted Northern Red-Bellied Cooters to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts today. These fall hatchlings had been at the center since last September and were deemed large, healthy and releaseable into the wild. However, if you walk into the National Marine Life Center this afternoon, you [...]
