How 3D-printing saved an injured sea turtle

3D-printing can create a wide array of items to benefit humans. But for one injured sea turtle, it saved his life.

The loggerhead head turtle, an endangered species, was hit by a boat propeller in Turkey. Not only did the accident shatter the animal's jaw, but it rendered him unable to eat any food on its own.

Luckily for him, a group at Pamukkale University in Turkey took it upon themselves to right the wrong, utilizing a 3D-printer to create a replacement jaw. With the help of BTech, a Turkish company specializing in printing prosthetics, the team was successful in creating a new titanium jaw. And after two short months, doctors fitted the reptile with his new chops, becoming the first animal transplant of its kind.

Although the turtle is still being monitored, soon it will be released back into the wild and be able to fend for itself.

More from AOL.com:
Storm system pushes east after drenching Plains
What was learned from American Pharoah's Preakness victory
Exchange student injured by bison in Yellowstone Park
oman takes on stubborn opossum found living in her laundry room