REUTERS/Evan GarciaCORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, June 8 (Reuters) - Endangered sea turtles and other marine wildlife have found refuge in a new coastal rescue center in Corpus Christi, Texas. Like other reptiles, sea turtles are limited in how much they can regulate and control their core body temperatures. The Kemp's ridley sea turtle is the smallest species of sea turtle and most critically endangered in the world, according to the National Park Service. Ullmer explained how cold-stunning events cause sea turtles' heart and respiratory rates to drop dangerously low, along with a dramatic slowdown of their metabolisms. Ullmer readied one of the rescue turtles to check for recurrence of abnormalities on the CT scan.

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Persons: Carrie Ullmer, Evan Garcia CORPUS, ridley, Ullmer, they're, Ulmer, Giovanna Pena, Evan Garcia, Diane Craft, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Texas State, Corpus Christi Center, Wildlife, REUTERS, Evan Garcia CORPUS CHRISTI, Corpus Christi, National Park Service, Thomson Locations: Texas State Aquarium’s, Corpus Christi , Texas, Evan Garcia CORPUS CHRISTI , Texas, Texas State Aquarium's, United States, New England, South Texas, Gulf, Mexico, Laguna Madre