DUCK KEY, Fla. — A loggerhead sea turtle is recovering in the Florida Keys after having a basketball-sized tumor removed.
A family was boating last Thursday when they came upon a turtle, which they named Chomper because it tried to bite their boat, caught in a fishing line off Duck Key.
They took the 125-pound turtle to The Turtle Hospital where veterinarians removed a 14.2-pound tumor on Saturday. They were also able to untangle the line and save Chomper’s flipper.
LIVE at the Turtle Hospital, Chomper is out of anesthesia, receiving a blood transfusion and looking good! Ginormous tumor weighed 14.2 pounds!!! (It was bigger than a basketball, see picture below. ). #connectandprotect #compassioniscontagious #fpsucks #biggerthanabasketball
Posted by The Turtle Hospital on Saturday, September 19, 2020
Hospital manager Bette Zirkelbach said it’s rare to find tumors on a loggerhead.
“In 30 years, we’ve never seen a tumor that big,” Zirkelbach told the Miami Herald.
Chomper is expected to recover.
Loggerhead turtles are designated as a threatened species. Adults weigh on average 275 pounds but they can grow up to 400 pounds, according to wildlife officials.
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