Giant Pregnant Sea Turtle Battles Back From Devastating Boat Strike
Pennywise, a 302-pound loggerhead sea turtle, was found floating off Florida’s coast in May—her massive shell split by a boat’s propeller. It was the kind of injury that ends most sea turtle lives. But this time, help arrived in time.
The Inwater Research Group discovered her and rushed her to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, where specialists determined she had already been suffering for weeks from blunt force trauma near her spine. The damage was severe but not yet fatal, and she was given a second chance at life.
Pennywise weighed 302 pounds when she was rescued.
Too Big for the Machine, Just in Time for a Miracle
Back at the turtle hospital in Juno Beach, staff ran into an unexpected hurdle. Pennywise was too large for the center’s diagnostic imaging equipment. A trip to Jupiter Medical Center didn’t help either—she wouldn’t fit into their human CT machine. Only when she was transported to the Palm Beach Equine Clinic, which caters to horses, could veterinarians get a proper scan.
That scan delivered a surprise. Pennywise was pregnant. According to the Associated Press, images showed she was full of eggs, prompting the center to prioritize her rehabilitation with hopes she could return to the sea before nesting season ended.
She was struck by a boat while near Florida’s coastline.
Racing Against Time and Propellers
The clock was ticking. Florida’s nesting season stretches from March through October. During these months, sea turtles swim close to shore to mate and lay eggs—making them even more vulnerable to collisions with boats. As Awesome Ocean reports, these interactions are one of the leading causes of sea turtle deaths. Their need to breathe forces them to the surface, where fast-moving vessels often strike before the animals can react.
The Sea Turtle Stranding Network in Florida reports a threefold increase in boat strike incidents over the past four decades. A surge in recreational boat traffic—especially during the warmer months—has made survival an increasingly difficult task for these ancient mariners.
The collision left a deep gash in her shell.
A Fragile Giant Returns to the Wild
Pennywise’s rehabilitation took months of care, medication, and monitoring. CT scans had revealed that the bones surrounding her spinal cord were damaged but that her nerves remained intact. That small window of hope was enough. By late July, Pennywise had regained strength, and the large wound on her shell had begun to heal. According to CBS News Miami, her care team deemed her healthy enough to be released.
Six volunteers gently carried her down Juno Beach. Spectators lined the sand, some filming, others quietly watching as Pennywise slowly made her way to the waves. Her injury was still visible, a brutal scar beneath her shell—but she crawled on. The crowd erupted in applause when she disappeared into the Atlantic.
Sea turtles surface briefly to breathe, making them vulnerable.
Why Boat Strike Prevention Matters
Loggerhead turtles like Pennywise are endangered, and every female has the potential to lay hundreds of eggs each season. That reproductive potential makes surviving females vital to species recovery. The staff at Loggerhead Marinelife Center are urging boaters to slow down, especially within Florida’s designated Sea Turtle Protection Zone, which extends one mile offshore.
Despite conservation efforts, the threat from boats persists. As Awesome Ocean documents, even brief surfacing periods—sometimes just a few seconds—can be fatal. The risk spikes during nesting season when thousands of turtles approach beaches.
One Turtle, Many Lives
Pennywise’s story is rare, not because of her injury, but because of her survival. Boat strikes like hers often end in tragedy. But this turtle’s recovery offered something else—hope for the future, and maybe, thanks to quick intervention and some creative veterinary teamwork, a new generation of loggerheads that might one day return to the same shore.
