Ever run into air travel problems during the holidays? That’s what happened this morning to our loggerhead sea turtle hatchling as Husbandry Curator Steve Vogel prepared to fly back with the turtle from North Carolina.

As you can see in the photo, the turtle passed its pre-flight physical with flying colors at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. But the little guy was denied boarding on his first flight — something to do with regulations about reptiles traveling in the main cabin on commercial flights. (It’s apparently been an issue on some planes.)

Our turtle is safe and in good health. For now, he’s driving back with Steve to the North Carolina aquarium while we work out alternate plans for their trip to Monterey. We’ll let you know as soon as there’s “new” news to share. And you can follow their journey on Twitter at #TravelingTurtle.

We’re optimistic that the hatchling loggerhead will make it home for the holidays.

Sea Turtle Hatchling Heading to Monterey

Can sea turtles fly? Well, a young loggerhead sea turtle similar to the one pictured here will be airborne tomorrow, en route from North Carolina to an exhibit in our Open Sea galleries.

It’s flying coach to Monterey with Curator Steve Vogel. You can follow their progress on Wednesday using the Twitter hashtag #TravelingTurtle.

At the earliest, it could be on exhibit Thursday morning, depending on the outcome of its veterinary exam. (We’ll keep you posted.)

The turtle is one of nine hatchlings rescued earlier this year by our colleagues with the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. These turtles didn’t make it back to sea with their nest-mates, and were hand-raised at the aquarium.

All nine are being loaned out to aquariums around the country, where they’ll live for up to two years before they’re returned to North Carolina, tagged and released to the wild.

Our youngster is just over 4 inches long and weighs less than half a pound. By the time it leaves Monterey, it could be more than a foot long and weigh up to 15 pounds.

We won’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, though. Even experts can’t tell a sea turtle’s gender until it’s around 10 years old.

Look for tomorrow’s updates at #TravelingTurtle, then come check the little guy out for yourself. It will be on the second floor of the Open Sea, near the puffins and other seabirds, in an exhibit that highlights the threats facing sea turtles and other animals from unsustainable fishing practices.