Rare 655-Pound Sea Turtle Rescued, Released After Treatment (Video)

A rare 655-pound sea turtle was rescued Thursday on a mud flat in Truro, Massachusetts.

655-Pound Sea Turtle (Youtube)

The 7-foot endangered leatherback sea turtle was then transported to the New England Aquarium's Animal Care Facility in Quincy, Mass., for treatment. 

After the turtle's condition improved, he was released in the waters south of Cape Cod on Saturday, September 22. Aquarium officials decided that the animal’s best chance of survival was back in the sea with its blood values stabilized and energy restored.

He was fitted with a satellite tag was outfitted with a satellite tag to monitor its movement and hopeful survival.

"The sea turtle was still underweight and the prognosis remains unclear," New England Aquarium wrote. "But this individual sea turtle has been afforded another chance at survival as an endangered species that is staring down extinction."

Leatherback sea turtles are the world’s largest reptile, and adults commonly weigh in excess of 1000 pounds. They are open ocean sea turtles that migrate thousands of miles and consequently have enormous front flippers to pull their giant bodies through the water.

Check out the video of the 655-pound sea turtle's release below:
Via New England Aquarium