Sea Turtle Stranded Along Oregon Coast Dies

ERTHFX | By OPB Staff

Published February 13, 2017 at 2:28 PM PST

<p>Officials at the Oregon Coast Aquarium say this turtle died Feb. 13, 2017 after being stunned by cold waters off Oregon's coast.</p> — Officials at the Oregon Coast Aquarium say this turtle died Feb. 13, 2017 after being stunned by cold waters off Oregon's coast.

A sea turtle that washed up on Oregon’s beaches over the weekend has died.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium reported Monday the loggerhead turtle was stunned by cold waters, and succumbed to its injuries.

Loggerhead turtles are relatively rare to see on Oregon shores, with the last one to arriving here Christmas Eve 2007. It also died after just a single day of treatment.

“We hope to learn from this loss but accept that the odds of saving stranded animals are low,” said Jim Burke, the aquarium's director of animal husbandry. “The turtles that strand on our shores are in a compromised state — the water temperature off Newport is in the low 50s this time of year, and these cold-blooded animals prefer water that’s at least 20 degrees warmer.”

The turtle was first found at Crescent Beach in Ecola State Park on Saturday, and transferred to the Oregon Coast Aquarium the next day.

Aquarium officials say the turtle likely came from warmer waters off the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

The animal will undergo a necropsy in the coming days to determine if internal injuries contributed to its death.