Learn Words Used in The Fin-Tastic Rescue

Cold-stunned: this refers to the changes sea turtles experience when they are exposed to cold water for an extended period of time. As a result of human-caused climate change, cold stunnings have become more frequent. When the water temperature drops dramatically in the fall, below fifty degrees, it becomes a threat to turtles. Turtles are reptiles that rely on an external heat source to warm up their bodies. When a turtle becomes cold-stunned, they are not able to eat, swim, or warm up in frigid waters. This leads to a slower heart rate, frostbite, pneumonia, and quite possibly death.

(Turtle Restoration Network: seaturtles.org)

Cetacean: [si-tay-shn] a marine mammal of the order Cetacea; a large aquatic mammal such as a whale, dolphin, or porpoise (Merriam-Webster)

Vessel: a ship or boat

Prop: a boat propeller

Vessel Strike: a collision between any type of boat and a marine mammal in the ocean. All sizes and types of vessels, from large ships to jet skis, have the potential to collide with any marine species. (fisheries.noaa.gov)