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Enjoy This Sea Turtle Postcard From Virgin Islands National Park

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Published Date

August 19, 2020
A hawksbill sea turtle at Virgin Islands National Park/NPS, Dr. Caroline Rogers

A hawksbill sea turtle at Virgin Islands National Park/NPS, Dr. Caroline Rogers

A "stay at home" order issued by the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands takes effect today, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy Virgin Islands National Park from the comfort of your own home. Take a short break to watch this Hawksbill sea turtle share a chicken liver sponge with some angelfish.

The video was taken by Dr. Caroline Rogers. According to park staff:

Unlike many sea creatures Hawksbills are spongivores! An animal that has adapted to eat sea sponges. The skeleton of a sponge is formed from spicules , a glass like material, calcium carbonate and a protein called spongin. In general they are not very tasty to most animals since they are hard to digest. As you can see from this video Angelfish will also eat them. Please enjoy our wonderful Sea Turtles but remember to keep your distance and do not disturb them from their daily activities like feeding and resting.

Comments

Submitted by Deb DePuy on August 20, 2020 - 5:39pm.

Delightful!!! Thanks for bringing this tranquility to Los Angeles on a hot, smokey afternoon.


Submitted by Rick B. on August 20, 2020 - 11:39pm.

Here in the North Cascades, far from the ocean, this is a pleasant scene to watch and dream of.


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