Sea Turtles Rescued From Chilly Waters

At least three dozen juvenile sea turtles have been rescued from an arctic blast that caused the water temperature in an arm of the Gulf of Mexico to fall 18 degrees in 48 hours.

The turtles, which are cold-blooded, were left comatose by the rapid temperature drop this week in the shallow bay where they feed. Animal rescuers feared that the cold would kill the turtles or make them so sluggish that they would be vulnerable to sharks.

Volunteers and others scooped them up from the surf, bundled them in blankets and towels and took them to the privately run Sea Turtle Inc. rescue center and a University of Texas marine laboratory.

Rare turtle found in Thailand

Thai villagers have caught a river terrapin turtle that was thought to be extinct in the country, a leading conservation group said Wednesday.

The female turtle - known for its egg-shaped shell and upturned snout - was found Jan. 3 in a mangrove canal in Phang Nga province on the country's Andaman Coast, said the World Wide Fund for Nature, Thailand. It was the first time the species was found in Thailand in two decades, the WWF said.

"The discovery of a species that was believed to be extinct in Thailand is considered to be a very important event, and it shows that the natural habitat in which it was found is still rich and should be conserved," said WWF official Songpol Tippayawong.

photo credit: Asian Turtle Conservation Network

Art Glass by Andrew Sinclair-Day