A rare type of sea turtle is on the road to recover at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center in Jekyll Island, Georgia. But this reptile is the offspring of a surprising parent duo: a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) mother and a Loggerhead sea turtle father (Caretta caretta). That makes the sea turtle in question, named Earl Grey, a first-generation hybrid sea turtle.
Kemp ridleys are the world’s smallest and most endangered species of sea turtle, and they only nest in two locations in Texas and Mexico. The IUCN categorizes them as critically endangered. Loggerheads are the second largest hard-shelled sea turtle and are about 2.4- to 3.5-feet-long. They are significantly bigger than Kemp’s ridleys, and nest across multiple oceans.
In fact, Georgia Sea Turtle Center director Jaynie L. Gaskin tells Popular Science that the union of Earl Grey’s parents is interesting because the two species have notably different size, behavior, and nesting patterns. So what does that mean for Earl Grey?
Hybridization happens naturally, especially in regions where species intersect, and a majority of occurrences are solely verified via genetic testing. In fact, experts don’t have any dependable estimates of wild hybrid sea turtles right now.
“There is still so much to learn from hybrid individuals like this. Questions remain around how these turtles behave and develop over time: where do they nest, what do they eat, and where do they move through different life stages?” Gaskin explains. “Each confirmed case helps scientists better understand how these animals are adapting in the wild—and ensures that conservation strategies can evolve alongside them.”
Earl Grey came into human care via cold-stunning—when water temperatures become cold too fast, which can cause turtles to become weak, sluggish, and bad swimmers, increasing their chances of injury, disease, or washing ashore. The hybrid turtle was found stranded on a beach in Brewster, Massachusetts, and was at the New England Aquarium before coming to Georgia Sea Turtle Center in November. At the turtle center, genetic testing confirmed that the rescued animal was a hybrid.
“From an evolutionary perspective, hybridization could be one of many ways genetic diversity is introduced into a population,” Gaskin said. “We encourage other rehabilitation facilities to consider genetic testing for any suspected hybrid sea turtles, as there may be more individuals than we currently realize!”
