Rare 'Pumpkin Spice' Sea Turtle Hatchling Spotted in Florida

Popular Science reports that Florida resident Michael Landress spotted a baby loggerhead turtle in August that looked nothing like the usual hatchling. Instead of a dark brown top shell, this one had an earthy orange color. Landress, who doesn't even like pumpkin spice lattes, called it "Pumpkin Spice."

Loggerhead hatchlings normally have dark to light brown shells and dark flippers with pale edges. Their bottom shells are tan or faded yellow. The "pumpkin spice" color is rare, says Daniel Evans, a biologist at the Sea Turtle Conservancy.

Why does the normal color matter? Evans explains that the common brown shades help baby turtles hide from predators while floating in seaweed mats like sargassum. A different color, like orange, doesn't provide that camouflage. That's probably why we don't see such drastic color differences in adult loggerheads, he says.

Adult loggerheads have a more reddish-brown shell and yellowish flippers. They're named for their large heads. Florida hosts one of the biggest loggerhead nesting sites in the world. Still, the species is classified as Endangered by the IUCN and Threatened in the United States, partly because of bycatch in fishing nets.

• Florida
• loggerhead turtle
• Michael Landress
• pumpkin spice
• rare coloration
• sea turtle
• Sea Turtle Conservancy