The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the University of North Florida have teamed up to learn more about the lives of sea turtles.
Scientists and students crowded into UNF’s necropsy lab Thursday to dissect three dead sea turtles that washed up on Northeast Florida beaches.
The lab is currently the only sea turtle research lab on Florida's east coast. Dr. Daniel Moon, chairman of UNF's biology department, said it provides a unique facility for government scientists, university faculty and students to work together.
"They can determine cause of death, whether there was disease present, and whether there were parasites. This is important information that can start to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of sea turtles," he said.
Prior to construction of the necropsy lab at UNF, scientists from Northeast Florida had to transport animals to labs in Tampa or Ft. Pierce.
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