Caleb gets a new home at Mote

A sea turtle named Caleb has new crawling grounds: the Aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory.

The juvenile turtle has a permanent home at Mote and is the first Kemp’s ridley turtle to be featured in Mote’s “Sea Turtles: Ancient Survivors” exhibit.

Weighing in at about 20 pounds, he was rescued Nov. 9, 2011, on Ormond Beach. He arrived at Mote in December and stayed for about one month in Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital before moving to the exhibit.

Kemp’s ridley turtles are considered the most endangered sea turtle species on Earth.

The exhibit also houses loggerhead and green sea turtles that cannot be released and includes a hospital for hatchling turtles and educational displays about Mote’s sea turtle conservation and research efforts.