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Rare 500-pound turtle found in S.C.
South Carolina scientists are getting a close look at a rare find - a 500-pound leatherback sea turtle, found stranded but alive Saturday on Yawkey South Island Reserve near Georgetown.
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GEORGETOWN, S.C. — South Carolina scientists are getting a close look at a rare find – a 500-pound leatherback sea turtle, found stranded but alive Saturday on Yawkey South Island Reserve near Georgetown.
The turtle is the first of its kind to be cared for at the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Hospital and one of few live leatherback strandings reported in the United States.
Doctors named the turtle Yawkey and ran tests to see if it had any underlying health issues. They could not find a reason why it was stranded and plan to release it back into the wild as soon as possible.
The turtle was being cared for in a large holding pool.
Leatherbacks are known to migrate along the southeastern United States in spring and fall. They usually nest in warmer waters off the Florida coast.
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