The Hawksbill Sea Turtle The Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys Imbricata)(Eretmochelys Imbricata)

By By

Bob Daas Bob Daas

MARY BETH DAAS

Characteristics of the Hawksbill Characteristics of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle Sea Turtle

Tapered head that Tapered head that looks like a bird’s looks like a bird’s beak.beak.

Color on its shell is Color on its shell is brown with brown with numerous splashes numerous splashes of yellow, orange, of yellow, orange, or reddish brown.or reddish brown.

Characteristics of the Hawksbill Characteristics of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle Sea Turtle

When they are When they are young, their shell is young, their shell is heart shaped. heart shaped.

Only sea turtle to Only sea turtle to have two pairs of have two pairs of frontal scales on its frontal scales on its head and four pairs head and four pairs of overlapping of overlapping horny plates on its horny plates on its shell. shell.

Characteristics of the Hawksbill Characteristics of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle Sea Turtle

They have four They have four flippers, which flippers, which allow them to allow them to move around in the move around in the ocean. ocean.

A special feature of A special feature of a pair of claws on a pair of claws on each flipper. each flipper.

Habitat/MigrationHabitat/Migration Lives in tropical, shallow, Lives in tropical, shallow,

and warm waters of the and warm waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Indian oceans.

Usually found by coral Usually found by coral reefs, salt water lagoons, reefs, salt water lagoons, and other shallow areas. and other shallow areas.

The Hawksbill turtle has The Hawksbill turtle has incredible migrations incredible migrations from their feeding areas from their feeding areas near coral reefs to their near coral reefs to their nesting ground on nesting ground on tropical sandy beaches. tropical sandy beaches.

DietDiet

Hawksbill Turtle, an Hawksbill Turtle, an omnivore, eats omnivore, eats mostly sea sponges. mostly sea sponges.

They also like to eat They also like to eat mollusks, marine mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, fish, sea urchins, fish, and jelly fish. and jelly fish.

DietDiet

Their beak helps Their beak helps them get their them get their meals by crushing, meals by crushing, biting and tearing biting and tearing its favorite food, its favorite food, sponges.sponges.

Obstacles the Hawksbill Turtle Obstacles the Hawksbill Turtle facesfaces

The Hawksbill turtle The Hawksbill turtle faces many faces many obstacles including obstacles including humans because humans because they catch them for they catch them for their beautiful their beautiful shells to make shells to make jewelry or to eat jewelry or to eat there meat and there meat and eggs. eggs.

Obstacles the Hawksbill Turtle Obstacles the Hawksbill Turtle facesfaces

When the turtles are When the turtles are hatched at night, they hatched at night, they want to follow the want to follow the reflection of the moon reflection of the moon to reach the ocean. to reach the ocean.

Humans sometime Humans sometime interfere with their interfere with their nature migration to the nature migration to the ocean.ocean.

Humans who live on the Humans who live on the beach sometimes leave beach sometimes leave their lights on at their their lights on at their house and the turtles house and the turtles go there instead. go there instead.

The Hawksbill Turtle is unique The Hawksbill Turtle is unique in many waysin many ways

It’s a lone turtle, only It’s a lone turtle, only meeting other turtles meeting other turtles to mate. to mate.

Its brilliant shell turns Its brilliant shell turns different colors when different colors when the water temperature the water temperature changes.changes.

Some of their food Some of their food makes them toxic to makes them toxic to be eaten but doesn’t be eaten but doesn’t make the turtle sick.make the turtle sick.

ReproductionReproduction

Hawksbill turtles mate Hawksbill turtles mate every two to three years every two to three years in shallow tropical in shallow tropical waters. waters.

The mom buries the The mom buries the eggs in a deep pit, eggs in a deep pit, covers them with sand, covers them with sand, and then she crawls and then she crawls away. away.

It takes about sixty days It takes about sixty days for the turtles to hatch, for the turtles to hatch, usually at night.usually at night.

Survival of the fittestSurvival of the fittest

The orphaned newborn The orphaned newborn hatchlings desperately hatchlings desperately claw their way out of the claw their way out of the buried nest under the buried nest under the cover of darkness.cover of darkness.

Then they franticly travel Then they franticly travel to the waters edge.to the waters edge.

Any hatchlings that don’t Any hatchlings that don’t get to the water by get to the water by daybreak get eaten by daybreak get eaten by shorebirds or crabs.shorebirds or crabs.