302-Pound Loggerhead Sea Turtle Struck by Boat, Discovers a Surprising Secret Inside

Pennywise, a giant loggerhead sea turtle weighing 302 pounds, faced a fate no creature should have to endure. Struck by a boat off Florida’s Atlantic coast, she was left struggling in the waters, her shell battered and broken. The crew from Inwater Research Group found her floating, a sign of how badly she had been hurt, and rushed her to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, where they hoped they could heal her.

But Pennywise wasn’t just another turtle. She was too big for the center’s equipment. At first, the team thought they’d take her to Jupiter Medical Center, where they could use a human CT scanner. But even that wasn’t enough. Pennywise was simply too large.

Determined, the team didn’t give up. They thought of another place—a Palm Beach Equine Clinic in Wellington, where equipment meant for horses could help. With a collective breath, they loaded Pennywise onto the trailer and headed to the clinic. When the scan was finally done, Dr. Heather Barron, the chief science officer and veterinarian at Loggerhead, was left speechless.

“Luckily, the horse-sized machine was big enough to fit this lady through,” Barron said, her voice filled with relief.

But what they saw on the screen next was something they never expected. Pennywise wasn’t just carrying the weight of her injuries—she was carrying life. The scan revealed something precious: Pennywise was carrying eggs.

“She’s got a future,” Barron said, her voice soft with awe. “We’re hoping we can get her back out there soon so she can lay those eggs and continue her legacy.”

The road to recovery wasn’t an easy one. Pennywise’s shell had been cracked, her bones damaged, but her spirit was unbroken. The crew at the center could tell she’d been suffering for about a month. Yet, against all odds, Pennywise showed signs of strength. Though her spinal cord was injured, the nerves around it remained intact. This, Barron said, was a sign of hope.

“Her neurologic exam shows that all those nerves are intact, and that’s a great sign,” Barron said. “We’re excited about that. We’ll keep monitoring her, but it’s a good sign.”

Despite the progress, Pennywise’s story is one of heartbreak. She’s a victim of something preventable—an injury that could have been avoided. Pennywise was simply doing what turtles do, returning to the Florida shores during mating and nesting season. Yet, she became another casualty in a long line of boat strike victims.

Her story, Barron explained, is sadly too common. “This is a textbook case of a turtle returning for mating and nesting season, only to fall victim to a boat strike,” she said. “It’s an entirely preventable injury.”

As Pennywise swims in her rehabilitation tank, the team at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center is hopeful. They’re doing everything they can to ensure she heals properly and returns to the wild, where she belongs.

Florida’s nesting season runs from March 1 to October 31, and officials at the center are urging boaters to slow down, especially in what they call the Sea Turtle Protection Zone, a mile off the coast. It’s a simple plea, but it could save so many lives—just like Pennywise’s.

“She’s a fighter,” Barron said. “And we hope we can send her back home to the ocean where she belongs, to lay her eggs and continue her journey.”