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SEA TURTLE SPECIES – Hawksbills, Eretmochelys imbricata

Hawksbills are another species we get commonly around here in South Florida, but only out in the water. They are about the same size as loggerheads, weighing in between 200-375 pounds and reaching about 2-3 feet on average.

Now, we say that they do not nest here, but we may occasionally get a hawksbill nest every five years or so. However, we are not easily able to tell if one does nest, since they do a pretty good job at acting like loggerheads when laying their nests. They crawl the same as loggerheads, create the same mounds when nesting, and their hatchlings even look a whole lot like loggerheads. And, since we identify the species in the morning by looking at how they crawl, we do not really know if one came and nested or not.

TURTELY COOL HAWKSBILL FACTS

• Hawksbills spend their time in coral reefs, lagoons, mangroves, oceanic islands, and other shallow coastal areas
• Have a bird like beak that allows them to get into small crevices on coral reefs and feed on sponges
• Sponges easily outcompete corals when they are growing, so hawksbills help to regulate sponge overgrowth on reefs

Hawksbills are known for their beautiful shells. Unfortunately, this beauty can often result in their demise, as poachers throughout the world still hunt these turtles for their shells. Because of this, hawksbill populations are still doing poorly, and they remain critically endangered.