Our only interaction with raw nature nowadays is usually streamed through to a screen that we happen to be watching at that moment. Occasionally, however, nature forces it’s way into our lives in ways we don’t expect. Sometimes that looks like finding a family of owls in your attic and others it means seeing a 900 lb leatherback turtle show up while you are on the beach!

In Melbourne Beach, Florida, some people got the experience of a lifetime.

While hanging out at the beach, a few onlookers witnessed one of those “nature moments” mentioned earlier. The moment was a massive turtle washing up on the beach, crawling to shore, and nesting mere feet away from people on towels.

The turtle in question is a leatherback.

Leatherback sea turtles are named for the softer shells that they have when compared to other “hard-shelled” turtles. These massive turtles are the largest species on record, growing up to 1500 lbs! They are listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable and a few subspecies are listed as Critically Endangered.

These turtles love to eat jellyfish!

Who knew that a creature would be willing to eat those stinging little blobs! World Wildlife says:

They are the largest sea turtle species and also one of the most migratory, crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Pacific leatherbacks migrate from nesting beaches in the Coral Triangle all the way to the California coast to feed on the abundant jellyfish every summer and fall.

Who knows where the one on the Florida beach came from!

David Rodriguez, a turtle biologist, was on a patrol when a beachgoer ran up to him.

When he heard the news, he was shocked!

“A bystander said there was a leatherback nesting right over there,” Rodriguez told FOX 13. “I didn’t believe him at first. I look over and saw a large amount of people, and though, ‘That’s definitely something.'”

Rodriquez was surprised to see the turtle in the day.

Most turtles nest at night, making this surprise appearance an uncommon one. When he got to the nesting site, he started taking some photos. Later, Shelley Michel, a photographer, joined him in photographing such a rare occurrence!

The turtle had its own security detail!

To ensure that the nesting grounds and the turtle were left alone, three deputies guarded the massive creature. Even without the cops, a single human probably couldn’t do much by themselves to the dinosaur lookalike!

Shelley Michel was stunned at the size and beauty of the turtle.

Weighing over 800 lbs, anyone stumbling upon the turtle would be shocked at the immensity of the turtle. One might mistake it for some type Jurassic Park escapee!

“Believe me, it’s a sight. She is beautiful,” she is heard saying in the video. “I can’t believe after years of trying, I finally got to see one.”

After some research, it turns out this turtle has visited before!

The turtle is named Vienna! In some strange, weird way, the truly having a name makes her cuter! They don’t know how old Vienna is, just that she weighs what the average turtle does.

Check out the video below!

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Source: Fox13, World Wildlife