Atlantic green sea turtle found nearly comatose in Peconic Bay

An Atlantic green sea turtle was discovered almost comatose this week by the shores of the Peconic Bay in Southampton in what one expert said Thursday could presage a "major cold-stunning event."

The hypothermia victim, about a foot long and 3 to 5 years old, remained in critical condition Thursday night after being found Wednesday near Rose Grove's Red Cedar Road, a beachy area that in past years has been a "hot spot for cold stunned sea turtles," said executive director Rob DiGiovanni at the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, which is taking care of the reptile.

As the foundation's first cold-stunned turtle this season, the juvenile's heartbeat was devastatingly low at 7 beats per minute instead of the average 25 to 35, foundation biologists said. Its core temperature was under 59 degrees, they said, and while that went up to 64 Thursday, the average is 77.

"It's not out of the woods yet," said DiGiovanni, a marine biologist.

Thanksgiving time is usually when hypothermia sets in for sea turtles. The cold starts a cycle that makes them lethargic and can eventually lead to death when they're too sick to eat and swim. A cold-stunned turtle often floats up to the surface, where it's at the mercy of currents and wind.

Usually when the chill sets in, sea turtles start migrating south to warmer Atlantic Ocean waters, but this year, the weather has been milder.

Because of that, more turtles may have hung around Long Island, DiGiovanni said, and when the cold snap sets in, more turtles may wash ashore.

"If they lingered around the area for some reason, then we have the potential for a major cold-stunning event," he said.

DiGiovanni urges Long Islanders to walk the beaches to look for turtles in trouble.

Even if a turtle appears dead, call the foundation, he said.

"If they have any doubt, just assume it's alive," DiGiovanni said.

The four-pounder began paddling in a small tub of warm water Thursday and was fed a slurry of fish, along with medicine to help its heart, he said.

It's too young for biologists to determine its gender.

But if it improves over the days, it'll be placed in a tank where it will have room to swim, DiGiovanni said. In the third phase of recovery, the turtle gets to eat on its own, instead of being fed a "shake" of macerated fish, vitamins and other ingredients, he said.

Atlantic green sea turtles are one of the largest types of sea turtles. They can grow to 5 feet long and 500 pounds and live past 70 years.

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