Wednesday, members of the South Carolina Aquarium and the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia came together to release a juvenile loggerhead turtle into the wild.  The team traveled close to 60 miles out to sea to release the 10-month-old turtle. 

It was captured last summer on the Isle of Palms and given to the Riverbanks Zoo by the Aquarium for their sea turtle education program.  That partnership helps sea turtle hatchlings survive their first critical year of life while serving as ambassadors for their species to educate the public about the dangers they face.  It's so important because once hatchlings leave the nest ,many are eaten by predators including birds, raccoons, crabs and fish.

The turtle was released into a sargassum habitat which floats in the ocean and is full of small crustaceans and fish which the turtle eats.  The turtle will live in that habitat for several  years before it reaches sub-adult size and travel on its own. The lifespan of a loggerhead sea turtle is estimated to be around 80 years.

Here in the lowcountry nesting season for loggerhead turtles runs from mid-May to mid-August.  The average nest has 126 eggs.  In South Carolina it is illegal to interfere with a sea turtle or its eggs.

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