Evaluating Stress in Endangered Sea Turtles

In the past 20 years, at least 11,000 sea turtles were rescued and hospitalized in the United States alone. To improve care for these patients, researchers will investigate and validate new testing methods to assess concentrations of several hormones in rescued Kemp’s ridley and leatherback sea turtles. This includes the hormone aldosterone, which regulates salt and water in the body and affects blood pressure, but which has not been studied in sea turtles. The team also will compare hormone changes between healthy turtles and injured or ill turtles to learn more about how these hormones relate to stress response and health status of individual patients. A better understanding of stress factors and hormonal stress biomarkers will be invaluable tools for improving the recovery and care of these endangered species.