Virginia Living Museum Loggerhead Sea Turtle Needs a Name

By thevlm In Press Releases

Newport News, VA (August 6, 2018) – Final days to vote for the name the Virginia Living Museum’s new juvenile loggerhead sea turtle will run for through August 8. Will its name be Gingersnap because of its “ginger” color and spunky “snapping” behavior? How about a name that rolls off the tongue like Lola the loggerhead? Or will the name Shelldon be the winner?

The community can vote online  http://thevlm.org and Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaLivingMuseum/.  Museum guests can also fill out paper ballots at a polling station in the Museum lobby. Cast your vote through Wednesday, August 8. The winning name will be revealed on Thursday, August 9 during the 3:00 pm scuba dive in the Chesapeake Bay Aquarium tank and visitors are invited to witness the “name reveal” with signage held by staff scuba divers.

The newest sea turtle was born September 19, 2015 and was found at Emerald Isle, North Carolina. The sea turtle was admitted to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores program as a straggler hatchling on September 22, 2016 and then transferred to the Virginia Living Museum November 2, 2017 and was held behind the scenes. The target weight for introducing new sea turtles to the Chesapeake Bay Tank is approximately 25 lbs. The newest turtle came to the Museum at around 15 lbs. and after reaching 33 lbs in June was put on exhibit. The newest sea turtle is still too young to determine its gender; loggerheads don’t sexually mature until they are at least 15 years of age and may live as long as sixty years and reach 400 lbs.

Support for future care of sea turtles can be made online https://thevlm.org/join/donate/

The Virginia Living Museum is open daily from 9 am- 5pm. Museum admission is $20 for adults and $15 for children ages 3-12. All daytime planetarium showing are free for Museum members and $4 plus Museum admission for non-members. Every Thursday this summer (through August 30) enjoy extended Museum hours until 8 pm.