Why Hawksbill Sea Turtle matter; Facts; Threats

Hawksbill Turtle

Scientific Name- Eretmochelys imbricata

Hawksbills Turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle. Hawksbills are named for their narrow, pointed beak. They are similar to that of other marine turtles. In general, it has a flattened body shape, flipper-like limbs and a protective carapace. The Hawksbill is a small to medium sized marine turtle. They have an elongated oval shell with overlapping scutes on the carapace, a relatively small head with a distinctive hawk- like beak or pointed beak, and flippers with two claws. General coloration is brown with numerous splashes of yellow, reddish brown, or orange on carapace. The plastron is yellowish with black spots on the scutes. Young hawksbill turtle are black or very dark brown with light brown or yellow colored on the edge of the shell, limbs, and raised ridges of the carapace.

Range Description
Hawksbill turtle are considered as the most beautiful sea turtles for their colorful shells. They are found in tropical waters around the world. Hawksbill sea turtle have a wide range, found in tropical reefs of Indian, Pacific, Atlantic oceans. They are migratory and individuals undertake complex movements through geographically disparate habitats during their lifetime. Hawksbill nesting occurs in at least seventy countries. There occurrence in various countries such as American Samoa, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Brazil, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran, etc. The largest population occurs in the Caribbean Sea, the Seychelles, Indonesia, Mexico, and Australia.

Diet/Size/Weight
The hawksbill turtles are omnivorous reptiles. They mainly feed on sponges found on coral reefs; algae and fish. They are prey to large fish, humans and shark.
Adult hawksbill sea turtle have been grow up to 1 meter (3 feet) in length, weigh about 176 lb (80 kilograms). The heaviest Hawksbill ever captured was measured to be 280 lb (127 kilograms).

Maturity and breeding
They have a life span between 30-50 years. Hawksbill matures very slowly taking about 20 to 40 years. Females Hawksbill Turtles, between the ages of 30 to 50, will usually mate every 2 to 3 years. On average\, they nest roughly 4 times per season at 2 week intervals and lay around 140 eggs per nest. Nests however, may contain over 200 eggs

THREATS
Their population has declined more than 80% in the last century, due to the trade in their beautiful carapace (shell), also called as “tortoiseshell”. The shell is used for items such as jewelry, combs, and brushes. They were hunted almost to extinction prior to the ban on the turtle shell trade. Other threats such as oil pollution, boat strikes, destruction of nesting and feeding habitat, destructive fishing practices like dynamite fishing, and coastal development. It is illegal to trade, purchase sea turtle products.

Why they matter
Hawksbill helps to maintain the health of coral reefs. As they remove prey such as sponges from the reef’s surface, they provide better access for reef fish to feed. They also have tourism value. For example, for local residents in the Coral Triangle, the flow of visitors who come to admire turtles is a vital source of income for them.

To reduce turtle by catch we have to work with fisheries to switch to more turtle-friendly fishing hooks and advocates for the use of special turtle excluder devices in nets. 

"Protect Sea Turtle"