Rehabilitated sea turtles are now about to race in the Tour de Turtles

With 1,000 fans cheering them on, Little Money and Coco made their way from the sand into the water off the Florida Keys.

Little Money is a 365-pound mature female green sea turtle, and Coco is a 215-pound male loggerhead. Both were rescued by the Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys and treated for gastrointestinal issues. Before their release back into the sea on Friday, they were fitted with satellite tracking transmitters so they can participate in the Tour de Turtles.

The Tour de Turtles, organized by the Sea Turtle Conservancy, runs from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31. During the three-month period, researchers are able to monitor the long-distance migration patterns of different types of sea turtles, and Little Money and Coco are the only rehabilitated turtles in this year's race. "It's important to protect sea turtles because they are part of multiple ecosystems — so they're part of the marine system, they're part of the beach system, and humans depend on those systems to be healthy — healthy turtles, healthy ecosystems, healthy humans," Dan Evans, research biologist for the Sea Turtle Conservancy, told CBS Miami. Catherine Garcia

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