Hawksbill Sea Turtles
| Sea Turtle Resources Sea Turtle Facts Turtle Pictures |
The name Hawksbill comes from the turtle's pointed beak, which is helpful for prying out sponges, their food of choice, from crevices in the coral reefs.
Their status as one of the most endangered marine turtle species is primarily attributed to human demand for their decorative shells.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) describes them as follows:
"General coloration is brown with numerous splashes of yellow, orange, or reddish-brown on carapace. The plastron is yellowish with black spots on the intergular and postanal scutes. Juveniles are black or very dark brown with light brown or yellow coloration on the edge of the shell, limbs, and raised ridges of the carapace.
As an adult, the hawksbill may reach up to 3 feet in length and weigh up to 300 pounds, although adults more commonly average about two and one half feet in length and weigh between ninety five to one hundred and sixty five pounds.
It is the only sea turtle with a combination of two pairs of prefrontal scales on the head and four pairs of costal scutes on the carapace."
Member states of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, have banned trade in tortoiseshells. Recently they turned down a request by the Cuban government to resume limited trade.
The effects of climate change on coral reef ecosystems, the Hawksbill traditional foraging ground, poses another potential long term threat to population stability.
© 2007-2010. Patricia A. Michaels