CMA Rescued Resident – Ula

Overview

Location

Details

Ula was found by a boater floating at the surface in Pinellas County on April 2, 2013, covered in moss. When found, she had a humped shell instead of a smooth, rounded carapace. This prevents her from remaining submerged, making her non-releasable. It is believed that she suffered a trauma in the wild, due to a boat strike, and then the carapace healed itself but misshaped. Ula was a picky eater initially, and has a specialized diet of romaine lettuce, avocado, and zucchini; however, she will devour squid often. One byproduct of the damage to her shell and spinal cord, which is fused to the back of her shell, is that she is hyper-sensitive to touch on the rear end of her shell. Ula interacts with all kinds of enrichment, but especially things she can rub her back on!