Huge turtle found dead in frozen lake

HALIFAX— The endangered leatherback sea turtle is an elusive creature of the deep.

Last week, however, scientists were stunned when one of these rare, huge reptiles turned up dead in an unlikely place: at the edge of a frozen Cape Breton lake.

Sea turtle biologist Mike James said it’s possible the turtle was following jellyfish — the leatherback’s main source of food — when it entered saltwater Bras d’Or Lake through a narrow channel and later failed to find its way back to the open ocean.

There have been previous eyewitness accounts of leatherbacks in the lake, which is more like an inland sea. But this recent find represents the first time a specimen has been positively identified in the area. “It’s a very significant record for sure,” James said.

Laura Bourque, veterinary pathologist in Charlottetown, performed a necropsy. The 360-kilogram turtle — about the size of a grand piano — appeared to be emaciated. Bourque confirmed there was no other obvious cause of death, though other tests have yet to be completed.