New England Aquarium Releases Rescued Sea Turtles, Equipped With Satellite Tags, Back Into Ocean

DENNIS (CBS) – Five large sea turtles, rescued in Massachusetts over the winter, have been released back into the ocean.

The loggerheads became stranded on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard last November and December, suffering from hypothermia and other life-threatening medical conditions, the New England Aquarium said.

On Monday morning, crowds gathered at a West Dennis Beach to watch the release of the turtles back into the open water.

Marine biologists will continue to keep tabs on the loggerheads via wallet-sized satellite tags and antennae attached to the turtles' shells. The GPS will show how often the turtles surface to breathe, where they feed around Cape Cod and where they'll go to spend the winter. The satellite tags will fall off the turtles in about six to nine months.

The released turtles Brick Red, Blue Bell, Laser Lemon, Banana Mania and Pink Sherbert are all named after crayon colors.