A very young green sea turtle, the kind that breaks out of its egg, digs up through the sand, then crawls like crazy to the ocean, was discovered not out in the Gulf of Mexico but in a freshwater retention pond of an RV park in Fort Myers.
The discovery of the sea turtle in the freshwater pond last week matched the one-year mark since Hurricane Ian made landfall in Lee County, and among the devastation the Category 4 storm wrought was the destruction of any sea turtle nests left on Southwest Florida beaches toward the end of 2022's nesting season.
The thinking is that Ian’s storm surge washed this particular turtle inland and it somehow found the RV park’s pond, where it became marooned and ended up as one of Ian's smallest survivors.
“While the sea turtle was not reported to be in distress, the pond in question was landlocked and offered no avenue for the turtle to reach the Gulf,” said Kelly Sloan, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s sea turtle program coordinator. “Active and looking healthy, the green turtle was relocated to Tarpon Bay, where it was released into a much more suitable habitat.”
The turtle was released after SCCF officials coordinated with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to successfully capture the sea turtle, which had grown to the size of an adult’s hand. A quick examination revealed no signs of external injury.
Providing this particular green turtle actually spent its first year toughing it out alone living in a pond down by the RV park, it would be of scientific note as a rare feat indeed.
There is a dearth of scientific literature on marine sea turtles living in freshwater environments for any length of time -- most likely because it is normally fatal. The species is physiologically adapted to saltwater.
"Sea turtles can’t reside in freshwater for an extended duration."
Green sea turtles have been observed in brackish waters, where salt and freshwater mix. And other sea turtles have been spotted in freshwater rivers and estuaries for short periods with the belief being they are either feeding or hiding from predators.
But these instances are exceptions rather than the norm. No marine sea turtle species are known to thrive in purely freshwater conditions as this one green sea turtle apparently did.
For example, just as soon as they make it to the ocean they drink the salt water because they are thirsty from the rigors of the hatching process and their salt glands need ocean water to establish things like ion and water balance soon after entering the ocean.
A marine sea turtle’s survival and physiological well-being are directly related to immediate interaction with salt water that continues, physiologically in many ways, for life.
“For sea turtles, the ocean is like their home, and it provides them with everything they need. The water temperature, salinity, and other chemical and physical properties must all be within their tolerance range in order for them to survive,” are some of the few words written about the phenomenon online, at a pet blog called Nursing Pets.
“Sea turtles can’t reside in freshwater for an extended duration. These reptiles are adapted to live in marine environments and won’t survive for a long time in freshwater.”
Except, perhaps, for one very special green sea turtle, possibly washed ashore by Hurricane Ian in September 2022.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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