It may feel chilly to us humans here in Baltimore, but sea turtles in New England find the cold stunning — literally.
So much so that in the next few weeks, the National Aquarium anticipates the arrival of several dozen rescued cold-stunned sea turtles from New England, and they are holding a Neighborhood Naming Contest for them.
Cold stunning happens to sea turtles when they are exposed to rapidly cooling waters, usually in the late fall when water temperatures drop below 50 degrees. If the turtles are exposed to icy waters over several days, they can become weak and prone to health issues, which may become life threatening.
Young sea turtles are more likely to suffer from the effects of cold stunning, and more likely to need human care to survive. Aquarium staff help them recover, but how will they keep track of the turtles without names? Some of them might be slow to come out of their shells in a new environment, after all.
Past sea turtles the National Aquarium helped rescue had names like Mothman, Icky (short for Ichthyocentaur), Ghost, and Dewey, but this year the aquarium would like suggestions based on neighborhoods in and around Bawlmer, hon!
Here is a link to the form to nominate your favorite part of your favorite town, celebrating all of our unique and beautiful neighborhoods that make Baltimore special. The aquarium will share a full list of the “neighborly”-named rescue sea turtles once they are all triaged, named and receiving their care on their way back to full recovery.
The only hitch is that, as National Aquarium fans may recall, certain neighborhood names are already taken by the baby seals rescued earlier in the year. The aquarium is caring for rescued grey and harbor seals named for Evergreen, Remington, Arcadia, Waverly, Woodberry, Guilford, and Montebello, so those names cannot be reused for the sea turtles they receive this fall.
Nominations are due by Dec. 1, 2025, so make sure you share what you love most about your neighborhood and why a beloved sea turtle deserves to wear its moniker with pride!
