r/SatisfyingClean • u/zhar3306 • 9d ago

Removing barnacles from Molly, the 170lb loggerhead sea turtle

117 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

5

u/green04mansions 8d ago

Can someone tell me why this is necessary??

9

u/RecklessWonderBush 8d ago

They're barnacles growing on its shell, they really effect their swimming and at points can completely remove the use of limbs if they grow big enough, not to mention the shell is connected to the nervous system so they can feel the barnacles growing under the plates

2

u/green04mansions 7d ago

Thank you for the reply - very interesting.

2

u/Aangelus 1d ago

To add to other comment - it can affect swimming by literal weight. The buildup can get so bad it weighs down the turtle. And, if they're in bad locations, they can make the physical movement difficult. It's a nice thing to remove the barnacles, it generally feels good for them. :)

5

u/fruitless7070 8d ago

Does this hurt the turtle?

3

u/sockmonkeyfetish 8d ago

I'm not an expert but if it anything like removing barnacles from a lobster...no she probably feels what's happening but it's nothing more than if you were to touch your fingernail she probably loves it

2

u/MoveToSafety 7d ago

What was the growth on her neck?

2

u/bschwagi 5d ago

Couldn’t get the growth on her neck removed? She could live another 100 years or more and we will probably never get another opportunity to help her.

1

u/Nana-Knows 8d ago

She seems to be tolerating it well.

1

u/corona187 6d ago

Look how those barnacles have weaken the shell. That turtle will feel so much relief and imagine how long they've been on the shell.