The Hawksbill Sea Turtle is the first recorded reptile as bio fluorescent. They consume venomous cnidarians the turtle flesh may be toxic. The carapace on their back has five central scutes and four pairs of lateral scutes. Their shell changes color as per the water temperature. The Hawksbill Sea Turtle’s beak has a tomium which means it has a shape cutting edge like a beak of a bird which gives it a saw-like appearance. They prefer to be closer to the shoreline than deep waters. The Hawksbill Sea Turtles have a heart-shaped carapace or shell when they are younger which elongates as they mature. They are an important link in the marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral reefs and seagrass beds. The Hawksbill Sea Turtles have been on the earth for at least 100 million years. They are known to be great travelers and keep roaming oceans. They are found in the tropical ocean throughout the world, especially on the coral reefs. They have overlapping scales on their shells which makes a distinctive pattern, and these shells are high-value items in the markets known as tortoise shells. Other major threats to the Sea Turtles’ survival includes plastic pollution, coastal development, fishing nets and invasive species.The Hawksbill Sea Turtles, common name being Hawksbill, are called so due to their narrow pointed beak. Hawksbills face multiple, severe threats including the Tortoiseshell Trade, egg collection, slaughter for meat, destruction of nesting and foraging habitat, oil pollution, entanglement and ingestion of marine debris and fishing gear. Data on reproductive longevity in Hawksbills are limited, but becoming available with increasing numbers of intensively monitored, long-term projects on protected beaches. Hawksbill Turtles can take 20 to 40 years to mature. In 2001 a IUCN Red List subcommitte upheld the Critically Endangered listing of the Hawksbill based on ongoing and long-term declines in excess of 80% within three generations. Their beautiful gold and brown patterned shells are hunted and sold illegally on the black market – often used to create ornamental products. The Hawksbill Turtle is one of the smallest species of turtle and sadly also the most Endangered.
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Photo by Bas Kroon How Endangered is the Hawksbill Sea Turtle? The Hawksbill Turtle is immune and this type of feeding provides a service to other marine life by contributing to the health of coral reefs and wider marine life. Much like a bird of prey, their narrow pointed beak is a specialised feeding tool and allows the turtle to reach into small cracks in the coral reef to extract sponges and other invertebrate.Ĭoral reef sponges are the Hawksbills primary source of food – a food source which is toxic to most animals due to the spicules they contain. Climate change therefore poses a serious threat, as the generally warming weather conditions leads to fewer male hatchlings and an imbalance in the population.
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The gender of a whole clutch is determined by the temperature of the eggs during the first three weeks – female hatchlings associated with warm temperatures and male hatchlings associated with cooler temperatures. Once hatched, the baby turtles must crawl swiftly to the water and avoid a multitude of threats in the process. Hawksbill Sea Turtle nesting season typically runs from October to March and incubation period is around 60 days. To reach their nesting grounds, sea turtles migrate long distances every 2-4 years, traveling back to the beaches where they were born.Īnywhere between 60-200 eggs are laid at a time, taking around two months to hatch.