With temperatures warming, 24 cold-stunned green sea turtles and a loggerhead turtle have returned home to the cozy waters of the Gulf.

The sea turtles, ranging in size from 3 to 35 pounds, were released by the Zoo’s sea turtle team and TAMU Galveston’s Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research.

The Mississippi Aquarium released 19 Kemp Ridley sea turtles. Kemp Ridley turtles are physically small but are a largely endangered species, so it was important for the aquarium to get them back in a space where they can thrive.