Their hard shells protect them from many predators, but they still fall prey to large fish, sharks, crocodiles, octopuses, and humans. Hawksbills are omnivorous and will also eat mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, fish, and jellyfish. These highly migratory reptiles help maintain a healthy coral reef ecosystem. They avoid deep waters, preferring coastlines where the sponges they like to feed on are abundant, and sandy nesting sites are within reach. Hawksbill turtles are found throughout the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Male hawksbills have longer claws, thicker tails, and somewhat brighter coloring than females. A further distinctive feature is a pair of claws adorning each flipper. The hawksbill turtle’s tapered head ends in a sharp point resembling a bird’s beak, hence its name. Their strikingly colored carapace is serrated and has overlapping scutes, or thick bony plates. While young, their carapace, or upper shell, is heart-shaped, and as they mature it elongates. Not particularly large compared to other sea turtles, hawksbills grow up to about 45 inches in shell length and 150 pounds in weight. Current Population Trend: Decreasing What is the hawksbill turtle?
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