![]() ![]() After the site is disguised, the turtles return to the sea. Next they lay their eggs and then proceed to fill in the pit in with their hind limbs. They then clear the area and dig a pit in the sand. The turtles come out of the sea and select a site in which to lay their eggs. It involves similar steps as most other species of sea turtles. The entire nesting process takes roughly one to three hours. However, this behavior is rarely observed. At times, males have been seen following the females on shore. Males lie and wait in the shallow water for the females to return. ( Pope, 1939)Ĭopulation usually begins in shallow water near the shore. No information is available as to whether or not these turtles have life-long partners or are promiscuous. Mating occurs roughly every 2 to 3 years. ( "The Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)", 1999) Sex determination is thought to be temperature-dependent as is the case with other sea turtles and reptiles, however not enough data is available to be sure this is true. As a hawksbill turtle matures, its carapace shifts from heart-shaped to more elongate. Male turtles are distinguished by a brighter pigmentation, a concave plastron, long claws, and a thicker tail. The average hatchling Eretmochelys imbricata in the parts of the Caribbean owned by the United States is about 42 millimeters in straight carapace length and weighs 13.5 to 19.5 grams. Nesting females average a length of 87 centimeters in curved carapace length and weigh 80 kilograms. Hawksbill turtles are relatively small sea turtles. ( Ernst, et al., 1994 "The Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)", 1999) Their elongate mouths resemble a beak, that taper off to a sharp point at the end. There are thick, overlapping scutes on their carapaces, which also have four pairs of costal scutes. They also have two claws on each of their forelimbs. Their heads have two pairs of prefrontal scales. ( Ernst, et al., 1994 "The Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)", 1999)Įretmochelys imbricata have 5 features that distinguish them from other sea turtles. ![]() The heads of hawksbill turtles taper into a V shape, giving them the appearance of birds' beaks. In all of the hawksbill turtles, with the exception of very old individuals, the lateral and posterior areas of the carapace are serrated. As these turtles mature, their carapaces becomes more elongated. Young hawksbill turtles have a heart-shaped carapace. When hawksbill turtles are young, the are unable to dive into deep water, and therefore are forced to live in masses of floating sea plants, such as sargassum. In general, they are found in water no deeper than sixty feet (18.3 m). They also reside in shoals, lagoons of oceanic islands, and continental shelves. Hawksbill turtles are most commonly found in hard-bottomed and reef habitats containing sponges. However, between the Carolinas and New Jersey, very few hawksbill turtles have been recorded. They are also present in the Long Island Sound. However, in the western hemisphere, they have been reported to have nests as far north as Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Eretmochelys imbricata are found mainly in the tropical regions of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. ![]()
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