A Plastic Straw and a Sea Turtle

Warning: Strong language and graphic content in the video.

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When we have an iced coffee, we often use a plastic straw.

On hot summer days, when sipping a refreshing drink, we often use a plastic straw.

Now, after seeing this video of a sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nostril, our plastic straws are no longer looking the same to us.

Be sure to check out the video above, and here’s a note from the research team, Christine Figgener and Dr. Nathan J. Robinson who discovered this male Olive Ridley sea turtle while on an in-water research trip in Costa Rica.

“The turtle very likely ate the straw and regurgitated the straw where it ended up in the wrong passageway. The nasal cavity of sea turtles is connected directly to the palate (roof of the mouth) by a long nasopharyngeal duct.”

They also noted the bleeding stopped nearly as soon as the straw was removed, and they did keep the sea turtle for observation before releasing him.

RELATED: A Look at Sea Turtles | The Octopus and The Coconut | Fishing the Dolphin Way

We had to share this video as it makes us think twice about something so small as a plastic straw.