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Hawksbill Turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

Description:

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Indo-Pacific subspecies—E. i. imbricata and E. i. bissa, respectively. The hawksbill's appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. It has a generally flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like arms, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. E. imbricata is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, and the saw-like appearance of its shell margins. Hawksbill shells slightly change colors, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs. Human fishing practices threaten E. imbricata populations with extinction. The World Conservation Union classifies the hawksbill as critically endangered. Hawksbill shells were the primary source of tortoiseshell material used for decorative purposes. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species outlaws the capture and trade of hawksbill sea turtles and products derived from the

Habitat:

Hawksbill sea turtles have a wide range, found predominantly in tropical reefs of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. Of all the sea turtle species, E. imbricata is the one most associated with warm tropical waters. Two major subpopulations are acknowledged to exist, the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific subpopulations

Notes:

Saw this small Hawksbill Turtle during Sunset dive at the House Reef of the Resort I was staying at. Hawksbill Turtle, although endangered, can be seen regularly in several dive sites of Anilao. However, most local divers doesn't realized that the Hawksbill Turtle are endangered as we get to see them regularly. On the contrary, local Divers are more excited to see the Green Turtle in Anilao, which is less common here but more common worldwide.

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5 Comments

AlbertKang
AlbertKang 9 years ago

Thanks, @Joshua :)

Josh Asel
Josh Asel 9 years ago

Fantastic spotting and especially lighting.

AlbertKang
AlbertKang 9 years ago

Thanks, @ChristosMaroulis.
@Ashley, you can see lots of turtles if you come to dive in South East Asia :p

AshleyT
AshleyT 9 years ago

Very cool, Albert! Would love to see one of these, great photo!

ChristosMaroulis
ChristosMaroulis 9 years ago

Beautiful spotting!!

AlbertKang
Spotted by
AlbertKang

Batangas, Philippines

Spotted on Oct 25, 2014
Submitted on Oct 25, 2014

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