Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Part 2

The seawater tanks at Gumbo Limbo were a fun place to visit. In one, there were hammerhead sharks and a gigantic lobster looking thing. I forgot to ask what kind of lobster it was. In another, there was a large sea turtle that was rescued from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully, they are able to rehabilitate the turtle, as it is one of the most endangered species of sea turtles. In those tanks are also nurse sharks, a moray eel, and a bunch of local fish.

Nearby is the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center. There, we met Shrek, Leroy and Jason, three greenback turtles who were nearly well enough to be released back into the wild. Gumbo Limbo opened the rehabilitation center in December 2009. Then, Florida had an atypically cold winter, resulting in a large number of sea turtles becoming ill. The rehabilitation center was able to rehabilitate around 150 sea turtles that otherwise would not have survived. All sea turtles are either endangered species or are threatened species, so saving that many is a big deal. A benefit of the rehabilitation center is the opportunity for scientists to study the behaviors of the sea turtle. Much is known about the hatching process, but not nearly as much is known about their lives after they return to the water.

We met a couple of volunteers at the rehabilitation center, Joyce and Carol. As with the other volunteers and staff, they took E under their wings and shared as much with her as possible about these beautiful creatures.

Just outside the rehabilitation center is the Gopher Tortoise Exhibit. Now, I had never heard of a gopher tortoise prior to our visit. On our first visit to Gumbo Limbo, I didn’t see any. But, on our second visit, the clouds were heavy and they were out to visit. The striking differences between the tortoise and the turtle were quite apparent when they were so close to each other. The tortoise had a rounded shell, while the turtle’s was flatter and broader.

Stay tuned...there's more to this place...