Recent icy weather brought in cold stunned sea turtles, and one group is trying to save the animals as temperatures drop.

Cold stunning is a condition in which sea turtles become very weak and inactive from exposure to cold temperatures, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Sea turtles are not able to regulate their body temperature like mammals and birds do.

"Cold stunned turtles become lethargic and are eventually unable to swim causing them to float at the surface," the NOAA says. 

Five cold stunned sea turtles were found near Avon and brought to the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center, or S.T.A.R. Center, at the Roanoke Aquarium.

The group included a hawksbill turtle, which are rarely found in the area. S.T.A.R. Center Rehabilitation Manager Amber Hitt says occasionally conditions bring them an unexpected species. 

“Normally, they stick to more tropical waters where they have plenty of thriving coral reefs. Looks like he [is] in rough shape because of the barnacles on his shell,” said Hitt. The turtle has been under close watch to make sure he has an appetite and has undergone testing.  

Hitt has been working with the sea turtle assistance and rehabilitation center for over seven years, but the hawksbill isn’t the first the unusual visitor this year. 

Leatherback sea turtles found nesting this summer on Ocracoke for the first time in a decade. So, what’s caused the unusual year? They aren’t quite sure.

“It could just be that they're increasing their migratory routes. I know in other places we're having some issues with climate change and weather affecting larger coral reefs, so it may be affecting what they would normally see. This one was found in Avon, stranded sound side and found by our nest volunteers.” said Hitt.  

Frank Wells leads volunteers as the Hatteras Island coordinator for the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, or N.E.S.T.  It's hard work watching the sound when temperatures dip, but after 15 years, he says that never gets old. 

“Eighty percent of these turtles come into places like this where there's nobody out here in the wintertime and they would perish if we don't find them and get them to safety,” Wells said. He says the changes in climate are impacting the turtles. 

“Certainly, the storms are impacting nesting because the nest get wiped out climate models, the storms are going to continue to get worse,” Wells said.  Cold stunned season will continue through February and both the volunteers’ teams at N.E.S.T. and the S.T.A.R. Center will be working to save each turtle they find." 

If you see a sea turtle on the beach or in need of assistance in the water, please use the following hotline numbers to report it:

• Virginia state line to Oregon Inlet: N.E.S.T. 252-441-8622.
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Bodie Island, Hatteras Island, & Ocracoke): National Park Service 252-216-6892