World's Rarest Sea Turtle Is New Resident at Mote Aquarium

A new sea turtle named “Caleb” is now on exhibit publicly in The Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory, which is providing the turtle a permanent home because it has impaired swimming abilities and cannot be returned to the wild.

Caleb is the first Kemp’s ridley turtle — considered the most endangered sea turtle species on Earth — to become a permanent resident in Mote’s exhibit Sea Turtles: Ancient Survivors.

“Caleb doesn’t have that full range of movement he’d need to survive in the wild — the ability to undergo long migrations and avoid boats or predators,” said Holly West, Sea Turtle Care Coordinator in The Aquarium at Mote. “We are glad to provide him a permanent home where we can work with him to improve his swimming abilities and where he can help educate the public about this endangered species."

The exhibit also houses loggerhead and green turtles that could not be released, has a hospital for hatchling sea turtles and features educational displays about Mote’s sea turtle conservation and research, highlighting how the public can help sea turtles survive.

Caleb, a juvenile turtle weighing 20 pounds with an upper shell nearly 14 inches long, was rescued Nov. 9, 2011 on Ormond Beach and brought to the Volusia County Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet.