![]() ![]() Crabs and flocks of gulls voraciously prey on the young turtles during this short scamper. The most dangerous time of their lives comes when hatchlings make the journey from their nests to the sea. At this stage the turtles retreat to the sea, leaving the eggs, which will hatch in about 60 days. They dig a pit in the sand, fill it with 130 to 160 eggs, and then cover it. ![]() The nesting procedure begins when the turtles leave the sea to choose an area to lay their eggs. Every two to five years, female hawksbills return to the beaches where they were born to nest, which normally takes place in shallow waters close to the shore. Like other sea turtles, hawksbills make incredible migrations in order to move from feeding sites to nesting grounds, normally on tropical beaches. Their hard shells protect them from many predators, but they still fall prey to large fish, sharks, crocodiles, octopuses, and humans. Hawksbills are omnivorous and will also eat mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, fish, and jellyfish. These highly migratory reptiles help maintain a healthy coral reef ecosystem. They avoid deep waters, preferring coastlines where the sponges they like to feed on are abundant, and sandy nesting sites are within reach. Hawksbill turtles are found throughout the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Male hawksbills have longer claws, thicker tails, and somewhat brighter coloring than females. A further distinctive feature is a pair of claws adorning each flipper. The hawksbill turtle’s tapered head ends in a sharp point resembling a bird’s beak, hence its name. Their strikingly colored carapace is serrated and has overlapping scutes, or thick bony plates. While young, their carapace, or upper shell, is heart-shaped, and as they mature it elongates. ![]() Not particularly large compared to other sea turtles, hawksbills grow up to about 45 inches in shell length and 150 pounds in weight. Climate change affects the turtles by warming the temperature of the sand that sea turtle eggs are laid in, which in turn affects the outcome of the hatchlings’ sex.Current Population Trend: Decreasing What is the hawksbill turtle? Six of the seven sea turtle species are classified as threatened, endangered, or critically endangered, due largely to human impact in the form of hunting, bycatch in fishing nets, pollution, and climate change. Lights from hotels, homes, and other buildings can confuse the turtles into heading the wrong way. Natural light at the horizon guides the hatchings to the ocean. Another threat comes from coastal development. Females dig a hole in the sand, then deposit their clutch of eggs (up to 100, in the leatherback’s case), cover it back up, then return to the sea.Īfter about 60 days, the eggs hatch and tiny hatchlings make their way from the nest to the water at night, often a deadly ordeal as seabirds, crabs, and other predators prey on the young turtles. Sea turtles mate at sea, then come ashore on beaches to lay their eggs. The leatherback travels an average of 3,700 miles each way. Sea turtles make incredibly long migrations between feeding and breeding areas. Photograph by David Doubilet, Nat Geo Image Collection Turtle journeys A critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle hatchling paddles away from shore in Cuba. ![]()
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