Hawkbill Sea Turtle
The Hawksbill sea turtles are considered one of the most beautiful turtles in the ocean today. Poaching and other threats have led to a decline of the turtle population. Theses beautiful creatures are close to extinction and if there is nothing done to protect them, then these turtles will be gone forever. They are considered to be smaller sea turtles compared to other sea turtles. Hawksbill turtles are named for their narrow head and sharp bird-like beak. A hawksbill sea turtle is easily recognizable from other sea turtles because of its sharp, curving beak, and the saw-like appearance of its shell pattern. Adult hawksbill sea turtles have been known to grow up to 3 feet in length, weighing between 100 to 150 pounds. The color of the hawksbill turtle may change from one geographical location to another because of water temperature, but their shells tend to be a mottled brown with dark and light spots and streaks. The shells, which they are known for have thick scutes. A acute is a bony external plate or scale that's overlaid with horn, makes up its carapace. Its carapace has five central scutes and four pairs of lateral scutes, like several members of
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its family. The Hawksbill's rear scutes overlap in a way that gives the rear of the carapace a serrated look, similar to the edge of a saw. Their underside is typically white or a light yellow or a mix of both. The hawksbill's appearance is very similar compared to other turtles. It has a flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like arms, which is ideal for swimming in the open ocean, their flippers also have 2 visible claws. Their walking patterns in the sand are asymmetrical, on land they crawl with an alternating gait, compared to the green and leatherback turtle which crawl symmetrically. They can live anywhere between 30 to 50 years. An interesting fact is that because of their sponge diet, their flesh is harmful to humans. The sponges that they eat have toxic chemicals which are absorbed in the turtle's body. By consuming their meat, there is a chance of humans getting a serious illness or even death because of the chemical. The Hawksbill turtle's scientific name is Eretmochelys imbricata.
It's in the Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Reptilia, Order: Testudines, Family: Cheloniidae, Genus: Eretmochelys, Species: imbricata. Its in the class Reptilia, which means it is a reptile. It's family is Cheloniidae. The Cheloniidae are a family of turtles that belongs to the sea turtle superfamily cheloniodea. In 1843 a zoologist named Leopold Fitzinger derived the genus' name, Eretmochelys. The roots of the word were pulled from the Greek words eretmo and chelys, meaning "oar" and "turtle". The name refers to the turtles' oar-like front flippers. The species' name imbricata is Latin. Imbricata translated into English means to imbricate. To imbricate means to arrange and it accurately describes the turtles' overlapping
scutes. The hawksbill turtle lives in tropical regions in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. According to NOAA, the largest population of of hawksbill turtles are found in the Caribbean, the Seychelles, Indonesia, Mexico, and Australia. Hawksbill turtles aren't found in the Mediterranean Sea and only a small amount is found in US waters. Hawksbill sea turtles are mostly found in tropical coral reefs and are usually found resting in caves and ledges around these reefs throughout the day. Since they migrate a lot, they are found in a wide range of habitats, from the open ocean to lagoons and estuaries. They prefer a habitat with hard ocean floors containing many sponges which they eat. Not a lot is known about their preference of habitat in their early stages of life, but what is known is that when they are young Hawksbill Turtles aren't strong enough to dive deep and they are forced to live with floating plants. Some scientists speculate that they just stay in the pelagic zone until they are mature enough to go off on their own. The sea sponge is the main source of food for the Hawksbill. According to marinebio.org, Sponges consist of about 70–95% of their diets but like many animals that eat sponges, they only feed on certain species. Apart from sponges, Hawksbills feed on algae, cnidarians, comb jellies, other jellyfish, and sea anemones. They also feed on the dangerous jellyfish-like the hydrozoan, and the Portuguese man o' war. They don't really have any predators that go after them since they are so big, the only thing that preys on them are sharks. When the turtles are in their eggs or they have just hatched is when they are they are at their most vulnerable state. Animals like crabs, raccoons, skunks, opossums, mongooses, and dogs feed on the eggs. Another threat to them are seabirds. Throughout the world, hawksbill sea turtles are hunted by humans, even though it is illegal to hunt them in a lot of countries. Some parts of the world consider turtles a delicacy, for example, China and Japan. Turtles are also hunted for their shells to be used as decorations and jewelry. The hunting and harvesting turtles for their beauty has been around since the times of the Egyptians, and the material known as tortoiseshell is mainly from the hawksbill. In China, the hawksbill is called the "tortoise-shell turtle", named because of its shell, which was used for making and decorating a variety of trinkets and furniture. In Japan, the turtles are harvested for their shell scutes. It is used in various things, such as eyeglass frames. Japan stopped importing hawksbill shells from other nations in 1994. Before they stopped importing them, the Japanese hawksbill shell trade consisted around 66,000 pounds of raw shells per year. The turtles were also harvested by the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans for jewelry, like combs, brushes, and rings. Today the biggest supplier of the world's hawksbill shell trade is located in the Caribbean. In 2006, processed shells have been available in large amounts, in countries including the Dominican Republic and Colombia. Because of this the hawksbill turtle population has greatly decreased. Conservation efforts have been put into place because they are a threatened species along with other turtles. They are threatened because of their slow growth, maturity, and slow reproductive rates. Many adult turtles have been killed by humans, both accidentally and on purpose, for example, loss of nesting, pollution and coastal development have damaged the turtle habitats which leads to a decrease in population. Another problem is human and animal encroachment threatens nesting sites, and small mammals like dogs dig up eggs and kill the baby turtles. In 1982, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species had listed hawksbill turtle and it was was listed as endangered. The endangered status continued for a while in 1986,1988,1990, and 1994 until it was upgraded in status to critically endangered in 1996. Two petitions challenged its status as an endangered species prior to this, claiming the hawksbill turtle had many stable populations in the world. Data given by the MTSG showed the worldwide hawksbill sea turtle population had declined by 80% in the three most recent generations, and there wasn't a notable population increase from 1996. The turtle is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and it is illegal to import or export turtle products, kill, capture, or harass the Hawksbill sea turtle. Local involvement in conservation efforts has also increased in the past few years. One way to get involved in helping the turtle population is to adopt a turtle by going to the World Wildlife Fund's website and look under adopt a sea turtle and adopt one. The organization will send you a certificate showing that there is a turtle in that is honored in the person who adopted its name along with other things. The hawksbill turtle is an amazing turtle. But without any help to conserve these turtles they may soon become extinct. They play a vital role in controlling the sea sponge population, and without these turtles the sponges would take over the coral reefs. They also help maintain the health of coral reefs. These turtles need to be saved and protected.
its family. The Hawksbill's rear scutes overlap in a way that gives the rear of the carapace a serrated look, similar to the edge of a saw. Their underside is typically white or a light yellow or a mix of both. The hawksbill's appearance is very similar compared to other turtles. It has a flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like arms, which is ideal for swimming in the open ocean, their flippers also have 2 visible claws. Their walking patterns in the sand are asymmetrical, on land they crawl with an alternating gait, compared to the green and leatherback turtle which crawl symmetrically. They can live anywhere between 30 to 50 years. An interesting fact is that because of their sponge diet, their flesh is harmful to humans. The sponges that they eat have toxic chemicals which are absorbed in the turtle's body. By consuming their meat, there is a chance of humans getting a serious illness or even death because of the chemical. The Hawksbill turtle's scientific name is Eretmochelys imbricata.
It's in the Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Reptilia, Order: Testudines, Family: Cheloniidae, Genus: Eretmochelys, Species: imbricata. Its in the class Reptilia, which means it is a reptile. It's family is Cheloniidae. The Cheloniidae are a family of turtles that belongs to the sea turtle superfamily cheloniodea. In 1843 a zoologist named Leopold Fitzinger derived the genus' name, Eretmochelys. The roots of the word were pulled from the Greek words eretmo and chelys, meaning "oar" and "turtle". The name refers to the turtles' oar-like front flippers. The species' name imbricata is Latin. Imbricata translated into English means to imbricate. To imbricate means to arrange and it accurately describes the turtles' overlapping
scutes. The hawksbill turtle lives in tropical regions in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. According to NOAA, the largest population of of hawksbill turtles are found in the Caribbean, the Seychelles, Indonesia, Mexico, and Australia. Hawksbill turtles aren't found in the Mediterranean Sea and only a small amount is found in US waters. Hawksbill sea turtles are mostly found in tropical coral reefs and are usually found resting in caves and ledges around these reefs throughout the day. Since they migrate a lot, they are found in a wide range of habitats, from the open ocean to lagoons and estuaries. They prefer a habitat with hard ocean floors containing many sponges which they eat. Not a lot is known about their preference of habitat in their early stages of life, but what is known is that when they are young Hawksbill Turtles aren't strong enough to dive deep and they are forced to live with floating plants. Some scientists speculate that they just stay in the pelagic zone until they are mature enough to go off on their own. The sea sponge is the main source of food for the Hawksbill. According to marinebio.org, Sponges consist of about 70–95% of their diets but like many animals that eat sponges, they only feed on certain species. Apart from sponges, Hawksbills feed on algae, cnidarians, comb jellies, other jellyfish, and sea anemones. They also feed on the dangerous jellyfish-like the hydrozoan, and the Portuguese man o' war. They don't really have any predators that go after them since they are so big, the only thing that preys on them are sharks. When the turtles are in their eggs or they have just hatched is when they are they are at their most vulnerable state. Animals like crabs, raccoons, skunks, opossums, mongooses, and dogs feed on the eggs. Another threat to them are seabirds. Throughout the world, hawksbill sea turtles are hunted by humans, even though it is illegal to hunt them in a lot of countries. Some parts of the world consider turtles a delicacy, for example, China and Japan. Turtles are also hunted for their shells to be used as decorations and jewelry. The hunting and harvesting turtles for their beauty has been around since the times of the Egyptians, and the material known as tortoiseshell is mainly from the hawksbill. In China, the hawksbill is called the "tortoise-shell turtle", named because of its shell, which was used for making and decorating a variety of trinkets and furniture. In Japan, the turtles are harvested for their shell scutes. It is used in various things, such as eyeglass frames. Japan stopped importing hawksbill shells from other nations in 1994. Before they stopped importing them, the Japanese hawksbill shell trade consisted around 66,000 pounds of raw shells per year. The turtles were also harvested by the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans for jewelry, like combs, brushes, and rings. Today the biggest supplier of the world's hawksbill shell trade is located in the Caribbean. In 2006, processed shells have been available in large amounts, in countries including the Dominican Republic and Colombia. Because of this the hawksbill turtle population has greatly decreased. Conservation efforts have been put into place because they are a threatened species along with other turtles. They are threatened because of their slow growth, maturity, and slow reproductive rates. Many adult turtles have been killed by humans, both accidentally and on purpose, for example, loss of nesting, pollution and coastal development have damaged the turtle habitats which leads to a decrease in population. Another problem is human and animal encroachment threatens nesting sites, and small mammals like dogs dig up eggs and kill the baby turtles. In 1982, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species had listed hawksbill turtle and it was was listed as endangered. The endangered status continued for a while in 1986,1988,1990, and 1994 until it was upgraded in status to critically endangered in 1996. Two petitions challenged its status as an endangered species prior to this, claiming the hawksbill turtle had many stable populations in the world. Data given by the MTSG showed the worldwide hawksbill sea turtle population had declined by 80% in the three most recent generations, and there wasn't a notable population increase from 1996. The turtle is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and it is illegal to import or export turtle products, kill, capture, or harass the Hawksbill sea turtle. Local involvement in conservation efforts has also increased in the past few years. One way to get involved in helping the turtle population is to adopt a turtle by going to the World Wildlife Fund's website and look under adopt a sea turtle and adopt one. The organization will send you a certificate showing that there is a turtle in that is honored in the person who adopted its name along with other things. The hawksbill turtle is an amazing turtle. But without any help to conserve these turtles they may soon become extinct. They play a vital role in controlling the sea sponge population, and without these turtles the sponges would take over the coral reefs. They also help maintain the health of coral reefs. These turtles need to be saved and protected.