13 cold, stunned sea turtles from New England given holiday names as they rehab in Florida

This Rudolph will not lead his friends Blitzen, Dasher, Dancer, Vixen, Comet and Cupid through the Christmas Eve sky

JUNO BEACH, Fla. — This Rudolph won't lead his friends Blitzen, Dasher, Dancer, Vixen, Comet and Cupid across the Christmas Eve sky, but maybe one day he will lead them out to sea again.

For now, the seven Ridley's sea turtles and six of their friends have been given holiday-themed names while they receive treatment at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach.

They were among 52 sea turtles flown to Tampa from the New England Aquarium in Massachusetts last week. They suffered from a condition known as cold stupor from New England's icy waters, which left them hypothermic.

“They float on the surface, they can't eat, they can't dive and they end up washing up on shore,” said Marika Weber, a veterinary technician at Loggerhead.

She said the New England Aquarium was overwhelmed by more than 200 sea turtles suffering from cold torpor. That's why 52 were sent to Florida.

In addition to the 13 sent to Juno Beach in Palm Beach County, 16 were taken to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the remaining turtles went to the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota and the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

The turtles will continue their rehabilitation at the aquarium, where guests are welcome to watch their journey and eventually return to their natural habitat.

Florida saw a record number of sea turtle nests this year. Preliminary statistics show that more than 133,840 loggerhead turtle nests have been built, breaking the previous milestone set in 2016. The same goes for green turtles, with an estimated at least 76,500 nests well above 2017 levels.

High numbers of sea turtle nests have also been reported in South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia, although not all records have been set as in Florida.