Hawksbill Turtle

 

Characteristics

As a full grown adult, the Hawksbill Turtle can range anywhere between 53 cm and 114 cm in length and it can weigh between 45 and 68 kilograms. Males are slightly larger than females. It takes about 20-40 years for juvenile Hawksbill Turtles to become a fully grown adult and they are said to live for decades. The Hawksbill Turtle is known for its beautifully patterned shells that are coloured with many complex patterns. The shell is often streaked with marbled amber, yellow and brown and the turtles are often poached for it. The shell also helps to protect and shield it from any predators. The Hawksbill Turtle can easily be distinguished from other marine turtles by their narrow, beak-shaped jaw.

 

Behaviour                

The Hawksbill turtle has several different forms of behaviour, including foraging, migrating, socialising, reproduction and parental care. It forages for food by using its narrow beak-shaped jaw to access food in small crevices and reefs. They migrate long distances from feeding sites to nesting grounds every 2-3 years. When the Hawksbill Turtle has found a place to lay her eggs she digs a hole in the sand, fills the hole with her eggs and then covers it back up with sand to protect them. The eggs take about 60 days to hatch. Most Hawksbill Turtles aren't known for being social as they work and live independently, although they do gather together in mating season.

 

Diet

The Hawksbill Turtle is a consumer, as well as both a predator and prey. As hatchlings, Hawksbill Turtles are prey to crabs, various small mammals, larger fish and sea birds. As they grow into an adult, Hawksbill Turtles fall prey to sharks, octopuses, crocodiles and, most of all, humans. The Hawksbill Turtle is an omnivore but it is often classed as a spongivore as its diet consists of many soft, spongy foods. The animals that the Hawksbill Turtle feeds on includes molluscs, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, soft corals, shellfish, seagrasses, fish and jellyfish.

 

Distribution and Abundance

Hawksbill Turtles are most commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical coral reefs throughout the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Ocean. They are also very common in Australia, mainly along the east coast and in Queensland and the Northern Territory. But they are also abundant anywhere between northern New South Wales all the way through to mid-Western Australia. In the Northern Territory, Hawksbill Turtles lay their eggs around Groote Eylandt, north-eastern Arnhem Land and at many other beaches, islands and coastlines. 

 

The entire population of Hawksbill Turtles in Australia and the Northern Territory is unknown, however Australia does have the largest breeding population of Hawksbill Turtles in the entire world. But unfortunately the population trend of Hawksbill Turtles in the world is decreasing significantly due to predators and human impact.

 

Habitat

Their habitat consists of coral or rocky reefs in tropical oceans, near shallow coastlines and lagoons. The reason for this is because this is where a large abundance of sponges can be found for the turtles to eat, whilst living near breeding areas.

      

Impacts

The biggest threat to the Hawksbill Turtle is the impact of humans. These impacts include polluting the ocean and the destruction and change to their habitats. Hawksbill Turtles can also drown in littered fishing gear or they can choke in an attempt to consume littered rubbish. As well as all of this, in many countries Hawksbill Turtles are being poached for their meat and their beautiful shells which are used to make and sell ornaments, jewellery and other decorative items. Even though humans are a large threat to these animals, the Hawksbill Turtle can also pose a major threat to humans too.The sponges that turtles eat contain toxic chemical compounds which accumulate in the animals tissues which makes its flesh dangerous to eat. The consumption of their meat by humans can causes serious illness or even death.

 

Management

The Hawksbill Turtle is a critically endangered species worldwide and it has become protected by IUCN redlist. The turtle is protected by many different acts around the world including: Appendix 1 of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Indian Ocean-South-East Asia Marine Turtle Memorandum for Understanding, Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Marine Turtles, Covention of Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, as well as many other acts.

 

The Hawksbill Turtle is native to Australia and the Northern Territory and it is considered a vulnerable species and therefore it is protected. The acts that are working to protect the Hawksbill Turtle in Australia and the Northern Territory include: The National Recovery Plan for Marine Turtles in Australia, The Australian Government's marine turtle recovery plan and Reef World Heritage Area. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are collaborating with the Australian Governments's Caring for Our Country and Working on Country program to help protect the turtles.They are also protected under state and territory legislation.  

 

The Wildlife Conservation Society is one of the many organisations that are working together to save all sea turtle species around the world, by focusing mainly on the protection of key habitats through research and training. The conservationists have helped by identifying crucial feeding grounds and have created protected nesting areas. They are working to reduce the poaching of turtles by developing other options for livelihoods and protein sources for the people who rely on the meat and eggs produced bythe Hawksbill Turtles. WCS is working with local authorities to create management plans and protected areas for sea turtle conservation.