GALVESTON, Texas — When a family found a small sea turtle that washed ashore along the upper Texas coast this week, they could tell it needed help.
The very young juvenile hawksbill sea turtle has an injured shoulder so they called the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research in Galveston.
The sea turtle center's rehab team designed a treatment plan with Houston Zoo veterinarians in hopes the hawksbill can eventually be returned to the wild when it heals.
Hawksbill sea turtles are a critically endangered species found worldwide among coral reefs.
They typically eat small crustaceans that thrive in the seaweed mats circling the Gulf of Mexico until they're large enough to dive down to the reefs.
Hawksbills get their name from their unique beak-like mouth, which resembles that of a hawk and is perfect for finding food sources in hard-to-reach cracks and crevices.
In some parts of the world, hawksbills face the threat of being hunted for their beautiful “tortoiseshell” consisting of an irregular combination of shades of amber, orange, red, yellow, black and brown. They're used to create many types of jewelry and trinkets, which nearly drove the species to extinction. Illegal hunting continues to pose a threat.
Adult hawkbills can grow 2 to 3 feet long and can weigh 100 -150 pounds.
Kemps ridley sea turtle injured by shark
A subadult Kemps ridley sea turtle was recently found struggling in the surf on Follet's Island after a run-in with a shark.
Sea Aggie Sea Turtle Patrol volunteers spotted her and brought her to shore.
After surgery at the Houston Zoo, she is back in the Sea Turtle Center's rehab hospital for care and treatment.
Please remember to call the 1-866-TURTLE 5 (1-866-887-8535) hotline if you see a sea turtle on the beach or in the surf. It is nesting season, so it's important to send video or photos to the response team to help determine if they're injured.
Please remember if you find a sea turtle on the beach, call 1-866-TURTLE-5 so the GCSTR team can respond.
