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Take a look behind the scenes as staff at the New England Aquarium conduct annual check-ups on their resident sea turtles.
Myrtle being taken to her examination. Hussein Hammouda / Boston.com
As staff at the New England Aquarium gathered around the massive green sea turtle named Myrtle this week, she calmly rested her head on the side of the large crate that was used to hoist her out of the aquarium’s Giant Ocean Tank.
Sometimes Myrtle likes to move around during her regular examinations. But on Wednesday morning, she was being an “angel,” Director of Animal Health Melissa Joblon said as she opened Myrtle’s mouth and peered into her eyes. Myrtle has done this a few times before, after all.
She arrived at the aquarium as a full-grown adult in 1970, and no one knows exactly how old she is. Joblon estimates that Myrtle is between the ages of 80 and 100. The turtle has approached 550 pounds in the past, and consumes around six and a half pounds of leafy greens a day. She is pulled out of the water four times a year for check-ups. Once a year, staff conduct a full exam of Myrtle and the two other sea turtles that live in the aquarium, loggerheads named Carolina and Retread.
The delicate process of examining the turtles is conducted with practiced precision. First, divers descend into the four-story Giant Ocean Tank, which contains 200,000 gallons of water. They slowly corral each turtle one by one, coaxing them towards the top where Joblon and her veterinary staff await. Aquarists attach the crate to a crane, lower it into the water, and gradually lift it up once the turtle is secured inside.
“They’re really used to it and they’re really calm,” Joblon said.
The veterinary staff check each turtle’s flippers for lesions and their shells for damage. They draw blood, which is then tested for signs of infection or inflammation. All three of the aquarium’s sea turtles are female, and ultrasounds are a crucial part of the exams. Retread has been laying eggs in the tank on a yearly basis, an unusual development.
The goal is to find anything, even small problems, that could develop into major health concerns.
“We might find one small lesion that could become a big deal, but if we get to that early we can treat that readily,” Joblon said.
Hussein Hammouda / Boston.com
At one point during her exam, Myrtle grew restless. Staff members quickly calmed her by lightly scratching her shell. The shells of green sea turtles are made of keratin, the same material that forms human nails. Myrtle can feel the scratches and loves them, Hospital Manager Nina Nahvi explained. When divers descend into the Giant Ocean Tank, she is known to come over and demand affection.
While the check-ups are important to track the health of the resident sea turtles, they are also crucial in the aquarium’s broader conservation efforts. Each year, hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles wash up on the shores of Massachusetts. They are rehabilitated at the aquarium’s “sea turtle hospital” in Quincy before being released back into the wild.
Getting good data from the resident sea turtles that live in a controlled environment informs how staff in Quincy treat their wild counterparts, Nahvi said.
“Every time I get to do something like this, I’m truly in awe. I feel so lucky that I get to work with these animals here and ideally make a difference in the world,” Joblon added. “All sea turtles are some level of endangered or threatened, so all of this work is for the greater good.”
Hussein Hammouda / Boston.com
All in all, the exams for the three sea turtles took about an hour. Myrtle was found to be in very good health, with a weight of 488 pounds.
Carolina, weighing 164 pounds, is also healthy. Joblon was particularly enthused by the clear images of her ovaries captured by the ultrasound. Carolina’s chronic eye lesion, the reason she could not be returned to the wild, appeared stable.
Rounding out the trio, Retread passed her exam with flying colors. Staff were not able to get an accurate weight for her due to a malfunction with the scale.
As the exams took place, eager aquarium guests crowded nearby to take a peek.
“It’s a really cool opportunity,” Nahvi said. “They didn’t realize they were going to get to see a sea turtle exam today. How many people can say they’ve ever even seen a sea turtle exam?”
Hussein Hammouda / Boston.com
Ross Cristantiello
Ross Cristantiello, a general assignment news reporter for Boston.com since 2022, covers local politics, crime, the environment, and more.
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