Nature
PUBLISHED
Loggerhead turtles can be found all around the Atlantic Ocean and have particularly strong numbers around the Mediterranean Sea. Nevertheless, the story of these loggerhead twins is exceptional.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.Marine biologists came across these conjoined turtle twins in southern Italy. The smaller twin was dead but was still putting the life of the larger twin at risk. So, in an attempt to save the bigger brother, it was taken to the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, on the small island of Ischia over the sea from Naples. Marine biologists carried out an operation on the turtle to remove the underdeveloped twin. Fortunately, the operation was completely successful and the living twin was returned to the beaches along Campania this week, a popular nesting site for the loggerheads.
Fulvio Maffucci, a marine biologist at Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, described the story as “extraordinary.” He added that he only knows of seven other births of conjoined twin loggerhead turtles around the Mediterranean, Associated Press reports.
The post-op turtle on the beaches of Campania.Dr Fulvio Maffucci
The tiny twin who unfortunately died. Dr Fulvio Maffucci
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