Home Wild Animals Hawksbill sea turtle

Hawksbill sea turtle

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Photo Courtesy of Tsu Soo Tan

Hawksbills are named for their narrow, pointed beak. They also have a distinctive pattern of overlapping scales on their shells that form a serrated-look on the edges

Spotted by Tsu Soo Tan on March 2021 in Singapore Water
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered

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 Wikipedia

Photo Courtesy of Tsu Soo Tan

Adult hawksbill sea turtles typically grow to 1 m (3 ft) in length, weighing around 80 kg (180 lb) on average. The heaviest hawksbill ever captured weighed 127 kg (280 lb). The turtle’s shell, or carapace, has an amber background patterned with an irregular combination of light and dark streaks, with predominantly black and mottled-brown colors radiating to the sides.

Several characteristics of the hawksbill sea turtle distinguish it from other sea turtle species. Its elongated, tapered head ends in a beak-like mouth (from which its common name is derived), and its beak is more sharply pronounced and hooked than others. The hawksbill’s forelimbs have two visible claws on each flipper. Wikipedia

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