Back in February, we held a Facebook Fan naming contest for a rescued olive ridley sea turtle. In a landslide victory, the turtle was the named “Paradise Fears” for the exciting young rock-pop band from Vermillion, South Dakota. While working in nearby Los Angeles the band dropped by to meet their true namesake sea turtle. They even got to help with the turtle’s check up. The olive ridley turtle is expected to be returned to the wild later this year and we hope the band will be back for the send off!

Earlier this morning, members of the SeaWorld Orlando animal rescue team returned a rehabilitated, sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle back into the waters of the Canaveral National Sea Shore in Titusville, Fla. This is the fifth turtle returned in 2012.

Olive ridley sea turtles are olive/grayish-green with a heart-shaped top shell (carapace). They weigh up to 100 pounds, but are considered relatively small compared to other species of sea turtles. The olive ridley is omnivorous, meaning it feeds on a wide variety of food items, including algae, lobster, crabs, mollusks, shrimp and jellyfish.

After being in SeaWorld San Diego’s care undergoing life-saving medical treatment since Jan. 25, 2011, Bruce the Pacific green sea turtle was returned to San Diego Bay last week.

It’s official: Turtle Reef is open to the public! Today (June 18, 2011) SeaWorld San Diego’s Park President John Reilly and local conservation organizations commemorated the opening by cutting a kelp ribbon in front of hundreds of park guests, who were among the first to see threatened and endangered sea turtles swimming in their brand new 300,000-gallon aquarium.

Loggerhead sea turtle release.

This little stinkpot turtle is known for his ability to release a foul odor to deter his predators!

SeaWorld Orlando will rehabilitate three more endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles from the Gulf of Mexico as facilities in the area continue to clear room for animals in need of treatment due to the oil spill.

Today SeaWorld Orlando is receiving nine endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles that have been impacted by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The turtles will arrive at Orlando Executive Airport and then transported to the park's Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. And guess what -- we'll be live tweeting and blogging the entire process.

Nesting season for loggerhead sea turtles has begun in Florida and continues through August. This is critical time period for these endangered animals; often impacted by humans.