Tiny Turtles in Swimwear: The Most Adorable Sight of Your Day!

Can you even handle the cuteness? Australian scientists at the University of Queensland are using fashion to help in a new experiment, crafting special turtle onesies that look a lot like swimsuits (especially when you consider that these little guys are super swimmers). Owen Coffee, a Ph.D. student from the university’s School of Biological Sciences, and researcher Carmen da Silva are investigating the diets of endangered sea turtles.

After realizing it was difficult to gather samples from the animals’ water tanks, Coffee realized he’d need a diaperlike garment to make retrieval easier. He tried out a few collection methods before ending on a suggestion from someone at the school’s research station to create one-pieces. The tiny suits, modeled on the happy little guy above, are made from rashguards collected at local secondhand stores, explaining the cheerful, bright colors.

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“After a few modifications, including Velcro attachments for the nappy, we hoped we had the perfect solution to our unusual problem,” the brain who suggested the stylish idea, Dr. Kathy Townsend, told a university reporter. “The suits were easy to put on, comfortable for the sea turtles to wear, looked great, and Owen was able to collect the entire fecal sample.”