BOSTON – Researchers with the New England Aquarium, funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, are investigating how hormone levels could impact the health of endangered sea turtles, and how that could lead to improved aid to these animals.
Kemp’s ridley and leatherback sea turtles have been known to become stranded on beaches, due to things such as boat strikes or oil spills. Often times, these turtles become cold stunned and lose their swimming abilities.
Aquarium researchers have hypothesized that this could do with the fact that these turtles have high levels of aldosterone hormones within their blood; aldosterone, among other things, regulates salt and water balance within the turtles’ bodies.
Studies are currently investigating 150 blood samples to see if these sea turtles with similar ailments have experienced hormone changes.
From there, synthetic solutions could potentially be given to turtles across the globe in order to balance their hormone levels and get them back to the wild sooner.
About Brendan Fitzpatrick
