Stories from the Seaside - The E-Newsletter from the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab

Where the Sea Reveals its Secrets New Addition to our Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Unit!

This month, we welcomed our new rehab patient, Robin!  Robin is a Loggerhead Sea turtle, weighing in at a whopping 232 pounds! The length of her shell measures 102 centimeters! Robin was spotted floating offshore near Panama City Beach, unable to dive down for food or protection. Some amazing boater heroes spotted her in distress and had Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) come to rescue her. With the help of FWC and Florida Panhandle Marine Institute (FPMI), she was safely removed from the water and docked overnight at FPMI. She was then transferred to Gulf Specimen on Friday, May 22nd. Once we got her back to our turtle hospital, we ran some X-rays, gave her fluids, and ran blood tests to get a better understanding of what caused her to have her buoyancy issues. All with the amazing help from our vets, Dr. Julie O'Brien of Compassion Vet, and Dr. Liz McGowan of Shepard Springs Animal Hospital. WE learned that she has a type of infection causing air to be traped under her shell causing what we call bubble butt. Robin is happily in one of our deep rehabilitation tanks and healing swimmingly! She is not currently on display for the public so as not to interfere with her recovery process. But we hope to show her off once she gets better! Robin's story is an amazing example of how helpful we can be when we work together! A huge thank you goes out to the amazing boaters, Dr. O'Brien, Dr. McGowan, FWC, FPMI, and all of the GSML volunteers for their teamwork and dedication to turtle rehabilitation and ocean conservation!

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Sea Turtle Tank Fund! Robin’s story is part of a much larger effort. During February’s major cold stun event, our team helped rescue and rehabilitate more than 600 sea turtles, some of which are still in our care today. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we also raised more than $50,000 toward our new Sea Turtle Hospital facility. This expansion will increase our surgical capacity and allow us to perform more advanced procedures, helping fill a critical rehabilitation gap in the Florida Panhandle. Construction is expected to begin this fall, with hopes of opening in early 2027. But our work is not done yet. We currently have six rehab patients in our care and urgently need additional dedicated tank space so we can continue helping more turtles in need. Every turtle that comes through our doors also helps educate thousands of students and visitors about marine conservation and the importance of protecting Florida’s coastal ecosystems. Check the link to donate to help today! Thank you to everyone helping us give these turtles a second chance.

Harold, Hailey, Henry and Holton! This month, we acquired 4 Atlantic Sea Hares! Sea hares are a species of sea slug, found primarily in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. They have a dark, rich, red-wine color, smooth skin, and large, ear-like antennae called rhinophores. These rhinophores resemble the long ears of a hare or rabbit, hence the name. Sea hares feed on algae, including fibrous green algae, and purple algae known as Hipnea (just like we grow in our greenhouse!) They can get as big as 16 inches and gracefully swim using long flapping "wings". They can usually be found in shallow areas with lots of algae. This species of sea hare also contains a purple ink that is released to deter predators! Hailey, Henry, and Holton can be found frolicking with the clam worms in Crab World tank #4. Harold can be found next to our Lettuce and Regal Goddess Nudibranchs in our stingray room, snacking on all the algae he can get his wings on :).

Intern Spotlight Meet Rebecca Swartz, one of our amazing 6-month interns from Los Angeles, California! Rebecca has her bachelor's degree in Marine Studies from Oregon State University. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys hiking, reading, scuba diving, card games, and playing pickleball! During her time at GSML, Rebecca is especially excited to continue learning more about marine life and learning more about the process of sea turtle rehabilitation.  Rebecca's Goals: Protect our oceans and educate younger generations on the importance of marine conservation. Favorite Lab Animal: Peaches the Southern Stingray! We are so thrilled to have her on as an intern!

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