When Oliver Richardson, a dive instructor at Quo Vadis Dive Resort Moalboal, shared a video of a sea turtle face down inside a marine sponge, people were concerned about the animal, with several commenting to ask whether it had died.
It was actually just sleeping. “I can assure you they[‘re] perfectly fine,” says Richardson on Instagram in response to one of the comments. “They just love this spot for a nap.”
Richardson and his partner Zoe Barrett have both seen turtles slumbering in sponges with their backsides in the air like this – day and night. “This is the 5th time I have seen this one sleep like this,” he says.
Although turtles breathe air, they do sleep underwater. “Turtles are great breath holders and can hold their breath for hours by lowering their heart rate down very low to conserve oxygen,” he explains.
Some people saw the funny side straight away. One follower commented: “You can’t park there, mate,” while another adds “I’ve never seen a hungover sea turtle before.”
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Top image credit: Zoe Barrett, Quo Vadis Dive Resort Moalboal Philippines
