BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Did you know sea turtles can’t hiccup?
Reptiles don’t have diaphragms, which makes hiccuping impossible. But when a green sea turtle was rescued from the shores of Brevard County last October, rescuers said its twitch made it flick its head up in a way that looked like a hiccup.
Five months after Hiccup’s rescue, the Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center returned the turtle to the sea this week.
Rescuers said they first believed Hiccup was in some sort of neurological distress, but nothing showed up on tests and the twitch eventually went away. But Hiccup’s shell was fractured and one of the bones in its neck was broken.
The Brevard Zoo said its team worked with Hiccup to slowly reacclimate it to swimming, graduating Hiccup from a kiddie pool to a regular tank after about two months.
“They took a lot of time to adjust to swimming again and seemed to have a hard time controlling their buoyancy, as they would sink to the bottom like a rock,” said Healing Center coordinator Jess Patterson. “They would then have a hard time swimming to the surface, spooking any time they touched the side of the pool. Eventually, they calmed down and were able to navigate their pool better.”
Rescuers said Hiccup was unable to eat on its own, so they used a feeding tube for about four months. Once Hiccup started eating, it downed full leaves of lettuce and a full dish of fish, shrimp and clams.
“During the first few days of eating, Hiccup’s behaviors also changed,” Patterson said. “They went from being very shy and quiet to using their enrichments and actively swimming!”
With this new lease on life, officials said Hiccup acted like “a brand-new turtle” who was active and curious. Hiccup was taken off its medications and its voracious appetite returned.
Hiccup was released near where it was initially found in Cape Canaveral. After being placed in the water, officials said Hiccup spent a few minutes “surfing” on the waves near the shoreline before swimming out of sight.
SeaWorld sea turtle release After months of rehabilitation, SeaWorld returned 10 rehabbed, critically endangered sea turtles to the ocean in Brevard County on Monday. (SeaWorld Orlando)
SeaWorld sea turtle release The 10 juvenile turtles join more than 2,500 sick, stranded, and injured sea turtles rescued and rehabilitated by SeaWorld coast-to-coast since 1980. (Alex Stiner/SeaWorld Orlando)
SeaWorld sea turtle release The 10 juvenile turtles join more than 2,500 sick, stranded, and injured sea turtles rescued and rehabilitated by SeaWorld coast-to-coast since 1980. (Alex Stiner/SeaWorld Orlando)
Hiccup Five months after Hiccup’s rescue, the Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center returned the turtle to the sea this week. (Brevard Zoo)
Sea turtle release The organizations released a green sea turtle named Schnitzel and a Loggerhead named Sunflower, weighing in at 130 pounds, back to the ocean. (Brevard County Fire Rescue)
Sea turtle release The organizations released a green sea turtle named Schnitzel and a Loggerhead named Sunflower, weighing in at 130 pounds, back to the ocean. (Brevard County Fire Rescue)
Sea turtle release The organizations released a green sea turtle named Schnitzel and a Loggerhead named Sunflower, weighing in at 130 pounds, back to the ocean. (Brevard County Fire Rescue)
Sea turtles Brevard County Two dozen sea turtles have washed up on shore in Brevard County as Tropical Storm Eta has been bringing wind and some rain to the area all day Monday. (WFTV Staff)
Sea turtle release A 370-pound loggerhead sea turtle named Perseverance made her return to the ocean on Tuesday after a three-month stay at the zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center. (Brevard Zoo)
Sea turtles More than a dozen sick sea turtles have been rescued in recent days and are receiving treatment at the Sea Turtle Healing Center at the Brevard Zoo. (WFTV Staff)
Sea turtle release A 370-pound loggerhead sea turtle named Perseverance made her return to the ocean on Tuesday after a three-month stay at the zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center. (Brevard Zoo)
Sea turtle release A 370-pound loggerhead sea turtle named Perseverance made her return to the ocean on Tuesday after a three-month stay at the zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center. (Brevard Zoo)
Sea turtle release A 370-pound loggerhead sea turtle named Perseverance made her return to the ocean on Tuesday after a three-month stay at the zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center. (Brevard Zoo)
Large distressed loggerhead turtle rescued out of ocean near Ormond Beach
Large distressed loggerhead turtle rescued out of ocean near Ormond Beach
Sea turtles released Staff with NASA, the National Park Service, Herndon Solutions Group, the center’s environmental services contractor, and others released Kemp’s ridley sea turtles into the Atlantic Ocean at the Canaveral National Seashore near Kennedy Space Center on Friday. (NASA)
Sea turtles released Staff with NASA, the National Park Service, Herndon Solutions Group, the center’s environmental services contractor, and others released Kemp’s ridley sea turtles into the Atlantic Ocean at the Canaveral National Seashore near Kennedy Space Center on Friday. (NASA/Chris Swanson/NASA)
Sea turtles released Staff with NASA, the National Park Service, Herndon Solutions Group, the center’s environmental services contractor, and others released Kemp’s ridley sea turtles into the Atlantic Ocean at the Canaveral National Seashore near Kennedy Space Center on Friday. (NASA)
Sea turtles released Staff with NASA, the National Park Service, Herndon Solutions Group, the center’s environmental services contractor, and others released Kemp’s ridley sea turtles into the Atlantic Ocean at the Canaveral National Seashore near Kennedy Space Center on Friday. (NASA)
Central Florida Spotlight: Sea turtles (WFTV)
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Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.
