Helvetica and verdana aren’t just fonts. They’re also a few of the new names bestowed upon sea turtles that a team from the New England Aquarium’s turtle hospital rehabilitated this year.
This winter, almost 500 live turtles washed up along the shores of Cape Cod Bay, with many suffering from hypothermia following the annual cold stunning season. Cold stunning occurs when water temperatures rapidly drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, shocking cold-blooded turtles into weak, inactive states that impact their swimming ability.
Most of the rescued turtles were stabilized and moved to secondary rehabilitation centers. Fifty-eight of the group remain at the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, an animal care facility in Quincy, Massachusetts. These long-term residents are still recovering from shell wounds and fractures, and various infections in their lungs, joints, and shells. Some have a long road to recovery before they’re released back into their habitat.
Turtle hospital
The aquarium staff, volunteers, and interns have a tradition of naming the turtles receiving prolonged care. This year’s names honor the team’s favorite fonts. Two critically endangered Kemp’s ridleys turtles are called “Cavolini” and “Franklin,” a pair of loggerheads named “Pretty Princess” and “Helvetica,” while another pair of sea turtles dubbed “Verdana” and “Chunk.”
“The time of year when we get to name the turtles always brings a lot of joy to the whole team,” Sammi Chaves, a rescue biologist at the Aquarium, said in a press release. “It’s symbolic, in a way, because these turtles are past the triage phase and are now in the long-term rehabilitation phase. Many are still undergoing significant medical treatments and diagnostics, but they have made such progress from when they first arrived. Now, we work toward getting these turtles healthy enough for release.”
Once water temperatures warm up this summer, the aquarium staff plans to release most of their rehabilitated sea turtles off Cape Cod into the Nantucket Sound. Until then, the newly named patients at the Aquarium’s hospital are in healing hands.
