The number of chilly sea turtles stranded on Cape Cod, Massachusetts has increased from dozens to hundreds in 40 years.
life
February 27, 2023
Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle after rehabilitation in West Dennis Beach, Massachusetts Lauren Owens Lambert/AFP via Getty Images
More and more sea turtles wash up on Cape Cod beaches each year. This Massachusetts peninsula is home to the highest number of annual sea turtle strandings in the world. The surge may be related to warming ocean currents, which could carry more turtles into frigid Atlantic waters.
Each winter, hundreds of volunteers comb Cape Cod beaches for sea turtles that have died of hypothermia. Overwhelmed by the cold, I can no longer swim…