The New England Aquarium is treating more than 200 sea turtles that have washed ashore on Massachusetts beaches as winter-like temps settle across the state.

The turtles were rescued by staff and volunteers from Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and arrived at the aquarium’s sea turtle hospital in Quincy on Nov. 7.

The creatures are cold-stunned, a condition in which sea turtles become very weak and inactive from exposure to cold temperatures, according to NOAA Fisheries .

The rescuers have been scouting Cape Cod Bay beaches for cold-stunned turtles and sending them to the facility for warmth and care for life-threatening medical conditions resulting from hypothermia and the inability to feed or swim.

Aquarium’s Director of Rescue and Rehabilitation Adam Kennedy

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