A rare and endangered sea turtle washed up early Wednesday on the southern Sea Pines beachfront on Hilton Head Island.
The Kemp's Ridley turtle appeared to have been grazed by a boat, causing a laceration on its head, according to Amber Kuehn, volunteer coordinator for the S.C. Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
The turtle, which weighed about 11 pounds and measured about a foot and a half long, was weak, barely walking and its eyes were shut tight. Still, the turtle's future is promising, Kuehn said.
"For a lot of them (turtles) that I take in, it's hit or miss if they will make it or not," she said. "This one will be fine. But since it's so critically endangered, they want us to take it in quickly."
Kuehn transported the turtle early Wednesday to the Sea Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, where it will be inspected, treated and eventually released back into the ocean.
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles are the smallest and "most seriously" endangered species of sea turtles, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The species, which was designated as endangered in 1970, is the second most common turtle to get stranded along the South Carolina coast, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
But unlike Loggerheads, which are the most common sea turtles found in South Carolina, Kemp's Ridley turtles do not nest on the state's beaches. In fact, the vast majority of Kemp's Ridley turtles only nest on a single beach in Mexico, which is why the species is considered so endangered, according to Kuehn.
Some juveniles, like the one that washed up on Hilton Head, are known to swim out into the open ocean after hatching and get swept out of the Gulf of Mexico and into the Atlantic Ocean by the Gulf Stream.
"They don't come up on our beaches, because they have no reason to unless they're nesting and the don't nest here," she said. "So, the only time we see them is when they're in trouble."
Wednesday was not the first time a Kemp's Ridley turtle has washed up on Hilton Head as a result of a boat strike. Kuehn said she responds to about four to five strandings of the species each year.
In July, a Kemp Ridley turtle named Sheldon was stranded on Hilton Head's beach after suffering a boat strike wound on top of it's shell. After about three months of care and treatment at the South Carolina Aquarium, Sheldon was released back into the ocean.
Vessel strikes can occur between any type of boat and marine animal, but most collisions occur between larger boats — cargo ships, whale-watching boats, ferries and military vessels — and large whales, seals or sea lions.
Still, sea turtles are at risk of getting injured in boat strikes too — especially in areas with heavy boat traffic such as Hilton Head.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has taken steps to reduce boat collisions with sea turtles by tracking vessel strikes through the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network.
Sea turtles stranded due to injuries caused by vessel strikes are tracked in all U.S. coastal areas in order to help researchers and marine biologists better understand the frequency of collisions and identify possible risk factors.
To report a dead, sick, or injured sea turtle, call SCDNR's 24-hour hotline 1-800-922-5431.
This story was originally published April 05, 2018 9:09 AM.