The newest arrivals at the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center in Burlington are a group of baby Eastern spiny softshell turtles. These threatened turtles are especially vulnerable to predators and habitat destruction when they're small. So ECHO, in conjunction with VT Fish and Wildlife biologist Steve Parren, will care for the turtles through this fall and winter in its animal care unit. When the weather warms up again the turtles will be released into Lake Champlain.

VPR's Jane Lindholm got an explanation of of why these threatened creatures were there from Josh Bakelaar, interim head of Animal Care at ECHO.