The hawksbill turtle (or Eretmochelys imbricata) is a medium-sized sea turtle living in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They inhabit tropical and subtropical marine environments such as coral reefs, lagoons, and coastal areas with rocky outcrops where sponges are abundant.
The hawksbill turtle has a patterned shell with overlapping scales with a distinctive, jagged appearance. Its carapace is brown and gold, often streaked with dark and light markings.
Adult hawksbill turtles grow to about 30in to 36in in carapace length and weigh between 99lb and 154lb.
Hawksbill Turtles are solitary and only interact with other individuals to mate.
Enrichments
Food-Based Enrichments
Veggie Bundle
Habitat Enrichments
Submarine Buoy
Bubble Blower - Airstone
Lattice Ball
Square Float
Conservation Topics
Ocean Ecosystem Ambience
Diurnal Behavior
Bycatch
Poaching and the Exotic Pet Trade
Pollution
Omnivore Diet
Reptile Evolution
Hawksbill Turtle Fact Sheet
Swimming Animals
Herpetology Talk
Climate Change
Hawksbill Turtle Name Plate
Lifecycle
Hawksbill Turtles are solitary and only interact with other individuals to mate.
The breeding season of hawksbill turtles varies by location, but usually takes place between April and November. With a relatively long interbirth period, a female may only mate every 2 to 5 years. Mating takes place in shallow waters, and both males and females mate with multiple partners, so a clutch of eggs will have multiple fathers.
Females return to their natal beaches to lay their eggs after mating. Usually at night, the female crawls ashore and digs a hole with her flippers, into which she then deposits and buries 100 to 200 eggs. One female may create over 5 nests in a season. She provides no further care for the nests. The eggs incubate in the ground for 2 months. Sand temperature determines hatchling sex: the warmer, the more females are born. When they are ready to hatch, the young turtles break out of the egg using an egg tooth, called caruncle, and emerge from the nest at night to avoid predators. They instinctively crawl towards the brightest horizon, which is typically the moonlit ocean, but may get confused due to light pollution.
Once in the ocean, juveniles drift with the currents and feed on plankton and small marine organisms. They remain in the open waters for 10 to 20 years, before moving into coastal and reef habitats. Hawksbill turtles reach sexual maturity at 20 to 35 years of age.
Colourmorphs
Albino
Statistics
Litter Size
2-4
Gestation / Incubation Period
2 months
Interbirth Period
34 months
Reproduction Difficulty
Easy
Age Of Sexual Sterility
Death
Age Of Sexual Maturity
25 years
Juvenile25 years
Adult5 years
Elderly20 years
Animal Facts
The descriptor ‘tortoiseshell’ is based on the pattern of the Hawksbill turtle’s shell.
In English, hawksbill turtles are named for their pointed beak, which helps them reach into small crevices in reefs to feed.
Hawksbill turtles primarily eat sponges (spongivores), many of which are toxic to other animals.
Hawksbill turtles travel great distances and have been known to migrate almost 1.158 miles.
Hawksbill turtles have been around for 100 million years and thus once shared their habitat with dinosaurs.
Conservation
Hawksbill turtles are Critically Endangered. They are heavily poached for their shells, which have been used in crafts for centuries, and sometimes, eggs are taken for food. Coral reef degradation threatens their primary habitat, while rising global temperatures affect the temperature dependent sex determination during hatching, with warmer sand temperatures creating a sex imbalance in the population. Sea turtles drown in fishing nets and often get caught as bycatch or may mistake drifting plastic bags for food and die of impaction. The slow reproductive rates further complicate survival of the species.
Conservation focuses on nest protection, trade restrictions, and pollution reduction. Some populations have stabilized or even increased due to these measures. Conservationists monitor and relocate vulnerable nests. Head-starting programs raise hatchlings in controlled environments before releasing them into the wild. Beach clean-ups can reduce the risk of swallowing plastics, while turtle-friendly fishing gear can help reduce bycatch and drowning incidents. Trade is banned internationally, though illegal trafficking continues in places. Eco-tourism projects may provide alternative income for people who may otherwise rely on turtle product trade.
Native Range
Worldwide tropical and temperate oceans
Statistics
Wild Population
Unknown
Conservation Status
Critically Endangered
Valid Release Group Types
Solitary Male
Solitary Female
Breeding Partners
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Planet Zoo 2 is in active development and the Zoopedia reflects this work in progress. Text, images, stats etc. are not necessarily final and may change or be expanded upon.
Veggie Bundle
Submarine Buoy
Bubble Blower - Airstone
Lattice Ball
Square Float
