Eretmochelys imbricata
hawksbill turtle
Similar Species
Distribution
Mediterranean, Temperate Africa, Temperate Australasia, Temperate South America, Temperate northern Atlantic, Temperate northern Pacific, Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean, Tropical Eastern Pacific, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Mottled olive-green upper shell with streaks on plates, low body, small head with upper jaw projecting to form parrot-like beak, four large plates along side of shell, three scales behind eye. Harvested in large numbers last century for manufacture of tortoiseshell goods.
Information
Max Size: 1100 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 15.9-30.7°C
Depth: 0-20m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
Occurrence: Infrequent (1.4% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields