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Rarely-seen olive ridley sea turtle discovered in Xiamen waters
A rarely-seen olive ridley sea turtle, also known as the Pacific ridley, was washed ashore in Xiamen on Tuesday. According to a report by the Chinese-language Strait Herald, it is the first of its kind to be discovered in Xiamen waters.
Two tourists found the turtle floating in the sea off Zeng Cuo An beach when they were taking a walk on Tuesday morning, and subsequently informed the police.
The Xiamen Ocean Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Detachment arrived at the scene moments later and attempted to rescue to the turtle, but unfortunately it was already dead.
The turtle, which weighs 13.67kg and measures 0.6m in length, 0.54m in width, was identified as an olive ridley sea turtle by experts from the Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration.
Olive ridley sea turtles are a second-class animal receiving special state protection in China due to their rarity in this country.
No obvious trauma was observed on the turtle, and the cause of its death is still under investigation.
The olive ridley sea turtle will be made into a specimen and kept at the Xiamen Endangered Species Protection Center on the Huoshao Islet.
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