MOLLY

Kemp's Ridley sea Turtle

Species: Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Age: Adult

Sex: Female

Weight: ~ 60 lbs.

Diet: Squid

Stranded: 7-19-06, Crystal River Power Plant, Citrus County, FL

Story: Found with injuries to her front left flipper and neck area due to a shark attack.

Personality: Tenacious

Loves: Squid

Known For: Missing both left flippers

Can Be Found: Swimming in counter-clockwise circles

Did You Know? Sharks are the main predator for full-grown sea turtles.

Molly's Tale:

Our shy girl, Molly, was found in the intake at the Crystal River Power Plant in Citrus County and brought to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium on July 19, 2006. Upon arrival, Molly was very active and was found to be a good body weight but had a number of injuries. First, her left rear flipper was a stub, which (even today) we are uncertain as to whether or not this flipper sustained an injury and healed on its own, or whether this was a birth defect. In addition, ¾ of her left front flipper was gone, and the left side of her neck had a large, open laceration. Even though these injuries were a few days old, the staff was confident that they were the result of a shark attack. Molly was kept in shallow water during her first week here at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, but she began to eat squid almost right away, and was scheduled almost immediately to have what remained of her left front flipper amputated. Molly's procedure was successfully conducted on July 28, 2006. Molly continued to have her wounds cared for in the months that followed, and by February 2007, her skin, her laceration, and her wound from her flipper amputation were almost completely healed, and all of her swelling was gone. Today, Molly resides outside at "Sawyer's Passage", in a large pool that she shares with Madam, Max, and Stumpy.