The main reason why gas pockets appear in turtles is collisions between plastic and boats.
When turtles ingest things they can’t digest, like parts of fishing nets, plastic bottles, and even rubber gloves (yes, sea turtles rubber gloves (intestinal)—may become stuck somewhere along the gastrointestinal tract. This causes gas to collect there and throw off the turtle’s buoyancy balance.
These gases usually collect in the part of the turtle’s gastrointestinal tract near the rear, leaving the turtle with its butt up at an unnatural angle. Such situations sometimes occur hardenable Dietary modifications, feeding aids, fluid therapy, and other non-invasive measures are used to improve affected animals to the point where they can be safely released back into the wild. Boat collisions, on the other hand, often cause permanent damage.
Although sea turtle shells are strong, they are not strong enough to withstand the impact of boats, especially when propeller blades hit their shells. This often deforms the shell and traps air bubbles underneath it. In more severe cases, the spinal cord beneath the carapace can also be damaged, leading to complete or partial paralysis. ”
The most common approach to rehabilitating these injuries relies on gluing Velcro patches to carefully selected locations on the shell and attaching weights to those patches to counteract the buoyancy caused by the air bubbles. Masu. This is a labor-intensive task that must be repeated every few months throughout the turtle’s life. And green sea turtles can live up to 80 years.
Charlotte swimming in a harness.
Credit: Laura Schubel
Utilizes advanced manufacturing technology
Charlotte, the victim of a boat strike with an air bubble trapped under her deformed carapace, was thought to be irreleasable and completely dependent on human care. Full recovery wasn’t an option, so Mystic Aquarium wanted to make daily life more tolerable for both the turtles and their caretakers. We got in touch with Adia, and Adia decided to collaborate with New Balance and Formlabs. Their idea was to do away with Velcro and replace it with a harness fitted with slots for weights.
