George Balazs measure the girth of a green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas The turtle had severe damage to its posterior scutes, the damage had first been reported several years earlier and had healed well, but had left the posterior shell fragile, so instead of standing the turtle up for examination of its plastron, Marc Rice held it in his lap so that the side scutes rested on his thighs and the posterior scutes were left free of pressure Part of the six-monthly catch and release at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, led by George Balazs, and Marc Rice and students of the Hawaii Preparatory Academy Marine Turtle Research program Kona Coast, Big Island, Hawaii, USA, Pacific Ocean

Credit to: Blue Planet Archive / Susan Dabritz

Image dimensions: 5400x3600

URL for this image: https://pictures.blueplanetarchive.com/image/I0000kHIFuLsvD0A