A green turtle that was saved after being trapped in a fishing net earlier this month has been a popular draw at a museum in Tottori Prefecture.
The female turtle, 60 cm in length and believed to be 10 years old or younger, will be released back in the sea later this month after a checkup at the Sanin Kaigan Geopark Museum of the Earth and Sea in the town of Iwami, officials said.
A local fisherman found the turtle trapped in the net off the coast of Iwami on Dec. 3 and brought it to the museum, where it has been kept in an aquarium that visitors can view.
Green turtles normally live in warm waters. In Japan, they can be seen off Kyushu and other southern parts of the country, said Yuzo Ota, an assistant curator of the museum.
But sometimes they drift in warm currents and reach colder Sea of Japan areas, including Tottori. It is rare for a green turtle to be found alive in the area, Ota said. The turtle appears to have suffered no injury.
Visitors to the museum can watch the turtle swim around in a tank.
"I'm surprised she is unexpectedly small," said Tomomi Ota, who visited the museum from Hyogo Prefecture with her three daughters. "Her eyes are cute. My kids are delighted."