LIVORNO. The Caretta Caretta turtles “Agata” and “Calandrino” have returned to the sea. Released off the coast of the Secche della Meloria, the Caretta caretta specimens return to the water after treatment at the Recovery and Rehabilitation Center for sea turtles at the Aquarium of Livorno.
The recovery and then release operations of the turtles took place as part of the activity of the network of the Tuscan Observatory for Biodiversity (OTB) of the Tuscany Region.
“Agata” is a female specimen of Caretta caretta turtle found on May 26th in the Portoferraio area (Elba), by the island’s Harbor Master’s Office alerted by a private citizen who had noticed that the animal was floating abnormally. “Calandrino” is the name given to the small Caretta caretta turtle, found on the beach of Calambrone on 25 February.
The release operations were coordinated by the staff of the Livorno Aquarium, thanks to the collaboration of the Operations Service of the Maritime Directorate – Port Authority of Livorno and the support of the Ampana volunteers for the transport of the specimens to the port. Giovanni Cerini – Culture Director of the Municipality of Livorno also participated in the release.
The turtle “Agata”
Having been found in a sea area in the Piombino Canal on the ferry route where it was found, the turtle was constantly monitored by the officers of the Harbor Office until the arrival of Valeria Paoletti (Elbamare Association – Cavo diving) who I immediately noticed the presence of a crab at the level of the cloaca, probable cause of the anomalous floating of the specimen. Despite the removal of the crab, the turtle still appeared to be in difficulty, showing slow swimming and being unable to dive. It was therefore deemed appropriate to have a complete veterinary check-up carried out on the animal, and therefore proceed with hospitalization at the Livorno Aquarium – Recovery and Rehabilitation Center for Sea Turtles.
Upon arrival at the Livorno Aquarium, AGATA weighed 42kg with a 69cm x 62cm carapace and had algae and lepada on the back of the carapace, which were promptly removed. The tests conducted in the following days, such as x-rays and blood tests, fortunately confirmed the good state of health of the animal which also fed and began to dive; it was therefore deemed suitable for release at sea.
Being an adult female, “Agata” could prove to be a possible candidate for laying eggs along our coasts. For this reason, with the aim of monitoring its movements and in the hope of following it even in its hypothetical nesting, the turtle was marked with a satellite tag by Prof. Paolo Luschi of the Department of Biology of the University of Pisa. The applied instrument will provide, in addition to locating the animal, many additional information such as the type of dive performed, the depths reached and the water temperature. Already now, it has been seen that the specimen has moved away from the coast and until tonight was swimming in the waters of Gorgona Island. The application of tools like this takes place as part of a research project funded by the Ministry of Research, which is carried out in collaboration between the Department of Biology of the University of Pisa and the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station of Naples.
The “Calandrino” turtle
This is a Caretta caretta tripod turtle: since the sex is uncertain in such young turtles, we decided for once to assign a male name. The specimen was found in an emaciated state with some infected lesions on the limbs, probably thrown ashore by the sea storm. The absence of the left front fin probably dates back to an old episode of predation as it had a perfectly closed scar and no infections. Upon arrival at the Recovery and Rehabilitation Center for sea turtles of the Livorno Aquarium, “Calandrino” had a carapace measuring 26cm x24cm and a weight of 1.2kg, while after the careful care of the aquarium staff and our veterinarian Marco Salvadori the dimensions have increased to 27cm x 25cm of carapace and 2.5 kg of weight. On the occasion of his release, being still very small, the staff decided to only equip him with a microchip.
As always, we thank the Ardenza veterinary hospital for the radiological support to our recovery and rehabilitation center for these specimens in need of rescue.
The turtle recovery operation was carried out as part of the activity of the network of the Tuscan Observatory for Biodiversity (OTB) of the Tuscany Region which ARPAT coordinates both for the recovery of stranded or distressed specimens, both alive and dead, and for the monitoring of Caretta caretta sea turtle nests; from 2013 to 2023 there were 52 nests registered in Tuscany with a total of 4603 eggs laid and 1299 chicks born. The reproductive season of the loggerhead turtle in Tuscany opened with a nest recorded in Roccamare, in the municipality of Castiglione della Pescaia, laid last May 23rd and with a second nest laid on the island of Pianosa on June 13th.
