Earlier this month, Coastal Connections, Inc. (CCI) took in a hard-shelled sea creature with an unusually fluffy coat. Typically, the sea turtles they save and rehabilitate from around Vero Beach, Florida, have glistening shells and calloused skin. But this poor guy was different.
He was covered in “hair” from head to tail.
Coastal Connections, Inc.
Sadly, the juvenile green sea turtle had been found floating in the Indian River Lagoon at Vero Beach by a Good Samaritan. They instantly called Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, who soon retrieved him from the water. That’s when the folks at CCI heard about him.
When the turtle arrived at CCI’s headquarters, nearly every surface of his body was covered in what looked like fur. But the experienced rescuers weren’t shocked — they knew exactly what was going on with the poor guy.
“This turtle has an accumulation of red algae on its shell,” CCI wrote in an Instagram comment.
Coastal Connections, Inc.
They’d seen similar cases before, but the blanket of algae covering the turtle felt especially troubling. It was a devastating clue as to how long he’d been struggling before being rescued.
“Algae and barnacles can ‘hitch a ride,’ so to say, when a turtle is moving slow enough through the water, and usually near the surface, due to illness or injury,” CCI wrote in a comment. “[Y]ou can tell it’s been floating for a while based on the accumulation on his or her head and carapace.”
Coastal Connections, Inc.
At first, rescuers assumed this turtle, whom they named Bob Moss, was suffering from a common “cold stun” due to the frigid winter weather.
“When the water temperature drops below a certain temperature, it’s likely that sea turtles will cold-stun,” CCI wrote. “Just like iguanas, they get cold. They just don’t fall out of trees. They just get stuck in the water.”
Coastal Connections, Inc.
The longer cold-stunned turtles float in the water, the more algae and barnacles they collect. Which is why, once they saw this little guy nearly encased in it, the team assumed he’d been floating in a cold-induced shock for weeks.
It wasn’t until they transferred Bob Moss to their local sea turtle healing center that the team realized he was facing more than simply being cold.
“Once Bob Moss arrived at the sea turtle healing center, we found out it had a previous boat strike,” CCI wrote in the Instagram Reel.
You can see video footage of Bob Moss here:
The CCI team was heartbroken to learn that Bob Moss had been injured in a boat strike — an all-too-common cause of death among sea turtles and other marine animals.
The Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) reports an estimated 3,000 sea turtles lose their lives each year due to boat strikes. And, sadly, despite rescuers’ best efforts, Bob Moss joined that grim statistic.
According to the CCI team, he ultimately “succumbed to his injuries” at their rescue center.
unsplash/Randall Ruiz
While Bob Moss couldn’t be saved, his story is already helping shine a light on a crisis affecting sea turtles worldwide.
In recent years, over half of the sea turtles rescued by CCI have been victims of boat strikes, but few have garnered as much attention online as Bob Moss — making his case not just a tragedy, but also an important opportunity to raise awareness.
The ocean is home to countless vulnerable animals like him that deserve respect and consideration. As the STC notes:
“Boaters can be part of the solution by following safe boating practices, such as slowing down in designated turtle zones, keeping an eye out for surfacing turtles, and using propeller guards to reduce the chances of fatal strikes.”
unsplash/Jake Houglum
Thankfully, with the help of rescue groups like the CCI, countless other sea turtles who find themselves victims of boat strikes will get something Bob Moss never did — a second chance at life.
To help sea turtles like Bob Moss get the care they need, you can donate to Coastal Connections, Inc. here.
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