Hawksbill sea turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Cheloniidae
Genus: Eretmochelys
Species: Eretmochelys imbricata

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a reef-dwelling turtle named for its narrow, hooked beak and famous for its beautifully patterned, overlapping shell plates. Its amber, brown and gold shell made it a target of the tortoiseshell trade for centuries.

Adults usually have a shell length of 60-90 cm and weigh around 45-70 kg. Hawksbills are specialist feeders, using their pointed beak to pull sponges, soft corals and other invertebrates from cracks in the reef, which helps keep sponge growth in check. They nest on tropical beaches, often in small numbers, and are listed as Critically Endangered.

Hawksbills are found throughout tropical oceans, and the Philippines is an important feeding and nesting area. They are commonly seen by divers on Philippine reefs, where they often allow close, calm encounters as they feed along the reef.

Photo: Bernard DUPONT, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist