The adults stay in shallow water and near the coasts, but sometimes they enter the open sea. The Gulf of Alaska, Argentina, South Africa, California (USA), Tasmania and India are just some of the places where it lives. Leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea) – It has an extensive distribution around the world. Hawksbill sea turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata) – Indo-Pacific Regions, Africa, Brazil, Australia.įlatback sea turtle ( Natator depressus) – Australian coasts as well as southern Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Olive Ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys olivacea) – Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and India. Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys kempii) – the Gulf of Mexico, South of the United States and some specimens in Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea. Loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta) – coastal bays and streams of all continents, except Antarctica. Green sea turtle ( Chelonia mydas) – the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Mediterranean Sea, African coasts, Northern Australia, Argentine, Pacific Ocean. Bycatch of hawksbill turtles (accidental capture by commercial and sport fishermen) is being reduced by fishing gear modifications (such as the use of TEDs, or turtle exclusion devices), changes to fishing practices, and closures of certain areas to fishing during nesting and hatching seasons.Hawksbill Turtle and Scuba Divers in the Red Sea. Hawksbill turtles are protected by various international treaties and agreements, as well as national laws. Any distraction from their dash to the water is an opportunity for predators to pick up an easy meal. Beachfront lighting causes hatchlings to mistake the artificial light for their true destination-the moonlit sea. Their nesting habitat is threatened by degradation from coastal development and beach armoring. As coral reef habitats continue to decline, the hawksbill’s primary source of food is reduced, putting the sea turtles at greater and greater risk. Marine pollution and debris, watercraft strikes, and incidental take from commercial fishing operations also contribute to human-related deaths. In addition hawksbills are harvested for their meat. The shell is used to make jewelry, hair decorations, and other ornaments, and even though international trade of the hawksbill is prohibited, it continues in much of the world. The hawksbill’s beautiful, translucent shell is unfortunately one of its greatest liabilities. Hawksbill sea turtles are internationally listed as critically endangered, and the reptile has been federally listed as an endangered species since 1970. The normal lifespan of hawksbill turtles is thought to be about 30 to 50 years. As a result, actual age at sexual maturity is not known. However, the time required to reach 14 inches is unknown and growth rates vary geographically. They are believed to begin breeding about 25 to 35 years later. Several Yucatán beaches account for 25 to 30 percent of all hawksbill nesting in the Caribbean.īy the time they reach 14 inches (35 centimeters) in length, hawksbills tend to move onto reef habitat. The exceptions are the Gulf and Caribbean coasts of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, where hawksbills nest on long expanses of beach in densities of 20 to 30 nests a kilometer. In contrast to all other sea turtle species, hawksbills usually nest in low densities on scattered small beaches. Hatchlings use the bright, open view of the night sky over the water to find their way to the sea. After the incubation period, two-inch (five-centimeter) hatchlings emerge as a group. Caribbean, a clutch size is about 140 eggs. Hawksbills nest at night, laying three to six clutches a season at two week intervals. The nesting season in most locations occurs sometime between April and November. Every two to three years, females return to nest on the very same beaches where they themselves hatched, referred to as natal beaches. Like other sea turtles, hawksbill turtles are solitary for most of their lives they meet only to mate.
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