For a second year, Wonders of Wildlife is offering a safe haven to cold-stunned turtles found on the east coast.
Eight endangered loggerhead were flown from Boston to Springfield Jan. 6. General Curator Michael Daniel remembers the incredibly blustery day the reptiles were brought to the aquarium.
In usual circumstances, migrating sea turtles will forage in coastal habitats along the northeastern shores before heading south to warmer waters. Because of the hook-shaped peninsula at Cape Cod, some turtles get disoriented and can’t continue migrating. Once the temperature gets below 50 degrees, hypothermia leaves sea turtles with what’s called “cold stunning,” and the creatures beach.