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A Three-Flippered Sea Turtle Named Dilly Dally Returns to the Sea

Dilly Dally, a loggerhead sea turtle amputee, returned to the Atlantic after months of rehab at Florida’s Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
ByCaLea Johnson|
Loggerhead sea turtles are endangered, and the Loggerhead Marinelife Center is trying to help them out.
Loggerhead sea turtles are endangered, and the Loggerhead Marinelife Center is trying to help them out. | by wildestanimal/GettyImages

One disheartening fact about sea turtles is that six of the seven species are endangered or threatened, and one is vulnerable. That’s why conservation nonprofits like the Loggerhead Marinelife Center are essential to their survival. The Florida-based organization helps injured sea turtles return to the ocean, and one of its latest patients is a three-flippered loggerhead named Dilly Dally.

After months of healing from an amputation, the young female is now roaming the seas again. Dilly Dally turned up with predator-inflicted wounds to her front flipper in January. The injuries were beyond repair, so the Loggerhead Marinelife Center vet team decided to amputate the limb. According to the Juno Beach facility’s website, she needed antibiotics, weekly wound care, and pain medications while healing from the operation. Dilly Dally has since made a smooth recovery, thanks to the organization’s care and attention. 

The Loggerhead Marinelife Center officially released the sea turtle back into the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, per the Associated Press. The date was nearly postponed due to stormy weather, but the team was able to release Dilly Dally from Juno Beach safely. They also teamed up with the Smithsonian to attach a satellite tracking device to the top of her shell. Now, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center and the general public can keep an eye on her whereabouts as she gets reacquainted with her aquatic home.

You can watch the workers release the loggerhead sea turtle in the YouTube Short from NBC News below: 

If you’d like to check in on Dilly Dally, visit the Marinelife Turtle Tracker. You can also use the tool to follow more turtles, such as another loggerhead named Sloan and a green turtle named Lucie.

Some countries have used alternative methods to save sea turtles. For example, conservationists in Israel discovered that mayonnaise is effective at removing tar from the reptiles’ bodies.  

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