Dozens of dead turtles are stranded on the Massachusetts coast due to the cold, says an animal sanctuary

Dozens of "cold-stunned" dead turtles have invaded the coast of Massachusetts after Thanksgiving day, which recorded record temperatures of low temperatures in the northeast.

Jenette Kerr, the sanctuary's communications coordinator, told Cape Cod Times that more than 80 turtles were introduced on Friday in the "solid frozen" animal sanctuary of the Audubon Massachusetts Audubon Society. Most of the turtles were dead, and Kerr blamed them for the high winds and the "drastic change of weather during the night".

Temperatures in areas near Cape Cod Bay dropped 19 degrees Thursday to about 19 degrees Thursday, while a gale warning was reported on the Massachusetts coast, according to forecasts.

Kerr told the local paper that of the more than 400 turtles that have been introduced into the sanctuary this year, only 87 are still alive.

Courtesy of Debbie Ben David

According to the Cape Cod Times, the season of strandings – when tropical turtles get stuck in the icy waters of the bay and their metabolism is stopped – usually extends from Thanksgiving to Christmas, goes from Thanksgiving to Christmas . The winds then push the motionless reptiles towards the coast, where they are probably killed by cold air and wind chills.

The sanctuary hosts since November 11 sea turtles under the shock of cold, according to information published on its Facebook page. Since then, the sanctuary has been overworked to treat turtles and send them to Boston's New England Aquarium for vital care.

One of the first turtles to remain stunned by the cold to wash when the temperature dropped, a 300-pound leatherback turtle could not be saved, wrote the sanctuary.

Most turtles come from areas with shallow bays and cooler water, including the towns of Brewster, Eastham and Orleans.

The beaches have also frozen, making turtle walking difficult, Kerr told the Cape Cod Times. The turtles in the deepest parts of the bay, where the water is a bit warmer, are probably stunned by the cold but alive, Kerr said.

Kerr has discouraged well-intentioned volunteers trying to save the turtles because the beaches are dangerous now that they are frozen.