Allison is a green sea turtle with only one flipper. Swimming in circles due to her flipper status is tough, though. Researchers have outfitted her with a black neoprene suit that sports a carbon-fiber dorsal fin on the back to enable her to glide gracefully in the water. The fin acts like a rudder and gives her stability. The turtle can change direction by varying the strokes of her only natural flipper.

Allison arrived at the rescue center in 2005 and was given a slim chance of survival. She recovered from her injuries and became a well-loved turtle. The staff decided to try to find a way to help her.

Turtles that are found having only one flipper are usually euthanized because they would struggle to reach the surface for air. Turtles with two flippers can be adopted by zoos and turtles with three flippers can be returned to the wild.

A team of scientists spent months trying to develop a prosthetic flipper but there was not enough of a stump remaining to use a prosthetic flipper. Instead, the scientists tailored a suit with a fin that would also allow for Allison’s expected growth. Many trips to the nearest Circuit City, perhaps? Allison will never return to the sea, but this will make her an “ambassador” for an endangered species.