By Bobby Miller

Lisa McDonald found a dead loggerhead turtle on Rutherford Beach last week. She reported it to the Audubon Rescue Team who came out and collected it, and told Lisa the following:

Estimated age – 25 years

Estimated weight – 100 pounds

Cause of death – probably disease. You can tell it has been moving slowly for quite some time, as evidenced by the barnacles.

Although it has a fresh shark bite, turtles typically recover from those and that is not suspected as a cause of death.

If you come across a stranded sea turtle, dead or alive, call 1-844 SEA-TRTL to report it.