Hawksbill turtle
Eretmochelys imbriocota
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Description:
Animal covered by a heavy shell that consists of an upper and lower part. Upper part with central, four costal and bordering plates. The first costal plate does not touch the nuchal. Shell yellow-brown with fan-like markings and overlapping plates. Rear border plates usually have a serrated edge. Head with an overhanging upper beak. One pair of plates between the eyes and three plates behind the eye.
They are medium sized, usually 90 cm in length and a mass of 45 kg, on average.
Habitat:
The Hawksbill turtle is omnivorous, feeding both on plant and animal material. They spent their lives mostly in the water. Only females come ashore to nest; males rarely return to land after crawling into the sea as hatchlings. Most females return to nest on the beach where they were born. A female will not nest in consecutive years, typically skipping one or two years before returning.
Distribution:
Common Caribbean.