COCOA, Fla. -- Florida wildlife officials are investigating a huge spike in soft shell turtle deaths throughout the St. Johns River basin.

  • Soft shell turtles are dying along St. Johns River basin
  • Boat captain says in April, he saw them acting strange
  • Florida wildlife officials now investigating the deaths

"We would go by slowly in the boat, and usually, they would run back in the water real quick and we'd get a short glimpse of them," Twister Airboat Tours Capt. Dennis Inman said. "(But) then we started noticing the ones we hadn’t seen moving would move just a little bit but then they were dead."

In April, Inman took off along the St. Johns River and during a guided airboat tour, he noticed this particular species of turtle -- called soft shell turtles -- were acting strange, lethargic or sick.

He said that within days, dozens turned up dead.

"We started to see more and thought there must be something in the water. But why is it killing just the turtles?" Inman said.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials began asking the same question: Why the soft shells?

After looking into it further, officials determined that this year, they've confirmed about 100 dead or dying turtles were spotted along the St. Johns River and other regions in the state, such as Trout Lake near Eustis.

"How could this be happening when I don't see any marks on their bodies (as though) they were bit by an alligator or hit by the propeller of a boat?" Inman asked.

Now, FWC is taking tissue samples of some of the soft shell turtles found dead along the St. Johns River to try to figure out whether it could be something in the water that's causing them to die.

Inman said if you spot a soft shell turtle, you don't want to try to touch it, because they do and will bite.

Officials say that anyone who spots a dead or dying turtle should contact FWC at 1-800-636-0511.