Amos Rehabilitation Keep - ARK at UT Marine Science Institute

06/13/2026

Happy Loggerhead Day for !

Loggerheads are basically ocean tanks. Big head = crazy strong jaws so they can crush stuff like whelks & conch. 🐚😳

Learn more about them here ⤵️
https://www.seaturtleweek.com/loggerhead-day

06/12/2026

Port Aransas, including the ARK, has had no cell phone or internet service. We’re now receiving emails and other communication that’s catching up from earlier in the day. It appears service is restored. We apologize for the inconvenience but without internet, could not make a post.

If you located a bird still in need of help, please keep it warm and dark in a well ventilated box overnight and give us a call in the morning.

If you have an unresolved sea turtle issue from today, please call 1-866-TURTLE-5

If your call was to check on the status of an animal or general inquiries, please email [email protected]

06/12/2026

🌊 FUN FACT for Sea Turtle Week: One of the ocean’s most incredible gatherings isn’t whales or fish—it’s sea turtles (in our opinion 😉).

Meet the Olive Ridley sea turtle 🐢💚

These turtles pull off something almost unbelievable called an arribada, which is when thousands of females come ashore at the same time to nest on the same beaches over just a few days or weeks. Scientists still don’t fully understand what triggers it, but it may be linked to weather, winds, tides, or even the moon.

When they’re not nesting, Olive ridleys live most of their lives in the open ocean, traveling across tropical waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans.

Share with an ocean lover friend for ! 💚

Learn more about Olive ridleys here 👇
https://www.seaturtleweek.com/olive-ridley-day

06/10/2026

Happy Kemp's Ridley Day for 2026!

Kemp’s ridleys are the only species that nests primarily during the day. They also nest in mass similar to their relative the olive ridley (also known as an arribada). They are named after Richard Kemp, a fisherman from Key West, Florida, who helped discover the species.

Have you ever seen a Kemp's ridley?

06/09/2026

Following an outstanding nesting season in 2025, Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are poised to break even more records in 2026! 🎉So far this season, almost 600 nests have been documented along the Texas coast! 🎉

Systematic tracking of sea turtle nests began in Texas in 1980, and this year has already surpassed the previous high of 449 nests recorded in 2025.

As nesting continues, your assistance is vital. If you see a sea turtle nesting, please call 1-866-TURTLE-5 immediately to report it.

️‼️Sea turtle release hatchling release dates have not yet been set.‼️For information about hatchling release dates, please check the park website and keep an eye out on the park’s Facebook and Instagram sites!

📸: NPS/Sue Wolfe

06/09/2026

Happy Flatback Day for 2026!

Did you know that saltwater crocodiles — the largest reptile on earth — sometimes prey on flatbacks. Adult females have been observed being attacked by crocs while attempting to nest. Yikes! 😳

Flatbacks are also unique because they’re found only in waters around Australia and have flatter shells than other sea turtles!

Learn more about the flatback here 👇
https://www.seaturtleweek.com/flatback-day

What’s your favorite flatback fact?

06/07/2026

We’d like to thank H-E-B for their continued support of the ARK!
Through their community engagement program, we were able to acquire all of the styrofoam coolers in which all of our sea turtle eggs will incubate at Padre Island National Seashore.
These two nests were excavated this morning!

06/05/2026

Happy Thursday from some of our smaller patients!

06/03/2026

This pelican front and center in this photo banded MA1 was transferred to the ARK from Gulf Coast Wildlife Rescue following Hurricane Beryl with severe bruising and swelling. Following rehab, this bird was released back on the Gulf beach in Matagorda county where rescued!

Last month, Kacie Rome with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries saw MA1 doing well during one of their routine surveys of Queen Bess Island, LA!

Photo credit Kacie Rome

06/01/2026