Hawksbill sea turtles are a kind of turtle which has been listed as an endangered animal since 1970. It is the most valuable of all sea turtles because of its unusual shell which people hunt mainly for jewelry. Handicrafts made of tortoise-shell appear in many ancient cultures, in places like China, Ceylon, India, Oceania, and Rome.
Biologically, the Hawksbill sea turtle is a small to medium size turtle. Nesting females are about 87 cm in carapace (shell) length and weigh around 8,000 g.(8 Kg) Hatchlings are about 4.2 cm across and weight less than 20 g. The Hawksbill sea turtle has different characteristics from other sea turtles. It has 2 pairs of prefrontal scales, thick overlapping horns on the carapace, 4 pairs of coastal scutes (the bony external plate or scale on the turtle's shell), 2 claws on each flipper, and a beak-like mouth. The carapace or shell of very young turtles is heart-shaped , and gradually becomes longer with growth.
The epidermal scutes that overlap the bones of the shell are the parts of the turtle that humans use to make jewelry and other articles. The shells are removed from the back of turtles through applying heat, often while the turtles are still alive. Turtles that survive such cruelty can reproduce new shells, which are low quality, and unfit for commercial use. Other predators besides humans include sharks, raccoons, skunks, opossums, mongooses, dogs, mammals, sea birds, crabs, and carnivorous fishes.
The Hawksbill, which has an average life span of 30 to 50 years, lives in different habitats at different stages of it's life cycle. After a turtle hatches, it begins to live in weeded areas along the coast line. When the turtle grows to a carapace length of 20-25 cm, it enters the ocean. The turtle lives in caves and ledges of coral reef for protection. Hawksbills are also found around rocky outcrops and high shoals, which are optimum sites for sponge growth. Hawksbills feed on sponges, which are their primary source of food. Their diet also consists of jellyfish, crustaceans, sea urchins, and mollusks.
The Hawksbill's mating season is longer than any other sea turtles' mating season . Mating between adults occurs every 2 to 3 years, generally April through November . Hawksbill turtles nest on small pocket beaches, and because of their small body size and agility, can go over reefs that limit attack by other species. Nests are typically placed under plant life and are built usually during the night. Females can lay as many as 200 soft, round white eggs per nest, and may nest several times during a season. The incubation period of an egg can last for 47 to 75 days. There are numerous places in the tropic and temperate zones where nesting occurs. In the Americas, these include the beaches off the Yucatan Peninsula, southern Cuba, Costa Rica, islands of the Caribbean such as the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and Grenada, northeastern Brazil, and the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Panama.
The Hawksbill sea turtle has been listed as an endangered species for many reasons, the Hawksbill faces many dangers in its life. The dangers include the fact that the turtles sometimes mistake plastic tar balls, and toxic byproducts as food and eat them which can damage their digestive system and cause them to die. Eggs stolen from the Hawksbill nests by humans and other predators reduce the population.(Even though they are endangered, the Hawksbill sea turtle's eggs are still eaten by humans, and are considered a delicacy. The meat of the turtle, however, is highly toxic and can cause serious illness if eaten.) And, the previously mentioned fact that people hunt the Hawksbill illegally for it's shell, has had a significant impact on the species. The use of heavy machinery near nesting sites which can trap the turtles in their nests, and the removal of sand for construction which can cause the loss of good nesting sites reduces the number of baby turtles which are allowed to mature . Some big plants can destroy nesting sites through root action. Root action causes problems to turtles when attempting to dig in the sand to make a nest. The turtle is unable to dig past the roots and has no choice but to leave that site and find another one. The light of some developing areas can cause problems to adults as well as their young, because of their natural instinct to follow light. Occasionally, following this light will lead them into dangerous situations.
The Hawksbill Sea Turtle, as well as many other species of turtles in today's world, is important to the balance of the environment . If measures are not taken to preserve these animals it will be too late and there will be no more Hawksbill Sea Turtle left in the world. It would be a horrible tragedy to have a world in which one species is allowed to eliminate another.
