What is the difference between the green sea turtle and the hawksbill sea turtle?

What is the difference between the green sea turtle and the hawksbill sea turtle?

One of the easiest ways to distinguish them is to have a look at their beaks. Hawksbill turtles have a sharp curving beak with a prominent cutting edge as in the image below. Green turtles have a tear dropped shaped shell and are not actually green – their shells are olive brown or even darker occasionally.

What makes a hawksbill sea turtle unique?

Hawksbills get their name from their unique beak-like mouth, which resembles that of a hawk and is perfect for finding food sources in hard-to-reach cracks and crevices. They are the only species of sea turtle that can survive on a diet consisting mainly of sponges.

Are all sea turtles the same?

For each of the seven types of sea turtles, females and males are the same size; there is no sexual dimorphism.

What are hawksbill sea turtles related to?

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys.

How do you identify a hawksbill turtle?

Description: The hawksbill is one of the smaller sea turtles. Head is narrow and has 2 pairs of prefrontal scales (scales in front of its eyes). Jaw is not serrated. Carapace is bony without ridges and has large, over-lapping scutes (scales) present and has 4 lateral scutes.

Are there hawksbill turtles in Hawaii?

The endangered hawksbill sea turtle, or “Honuʻea” in Hawaiian, lives and feeds in the nearshore waters around the Hawaiian Archipelago. The Hawaiian hawksbill nesting population is, however, the largest in the U.S. Pacific Ocean and the only known nesting colony in the Central North Pacific.

Are all 7 species of sea turtles endangered?

WWF’s work on sea turtles focuses on five of those species: green, hawksbill, loggerhead, leatherback, and olive ridley. Nearly all species of sea turtle are now classified as endangered, with three of the seven existing species being critically endangered.

Is a hawksbill sea turtle a reptile?

The hawksbill sea turtle is a small, agile turtle with an oval-shaped body. The reptile has powerful toothless jaws and a raptorlike “beak,” which earned the hawksbill its name. Hawksbill sea turtles are circumtropical, meaning they inhabit oceans, seas, and associated waters in tropical areas throughout the world.

Is the hawksbill sea turtle endangered?

Critically Endangered (Population decreasing)
Hawksbill sea turtle/Conservation status

How many Hawksbill turtles are in Hawaii?

There are fewer than 100 adult female hawksbills known to nest in all of Hawai’i (locally referred to as honu’ea or ‘ea). On Maui, fewer than 2 may nest each year during the nesting season, and 15-25 females statewide.

Is the hawksbill sea turtle an endangered species?

Hawksbill sea turtles are internationally listed as critically endangered, and the reptile has been federally listed as an endangered species since 1970. The hawksbill’s beautiful, translucent shell is unfortunately one of its greatest liabilities.

Where do hawksbill sea turtles go in the world?

Hawksbill sea turtles are circumtropical, meaning they inhabit oceans, seas, and associated waters in tropical areas throughout the world. They are known to go as far south as the coast of Brazil.

What kind of beak does a hawksbill sea turtle have?

The reptile has powerful toothless jaws and a raptorlike “beak,” which earned the hawksbill its name. This beak is perfectly suited for crushing, biting, and tearing food. The carapace has a tortoiseshell coloration, ranging from dark to golden brown with varying streaks of orange, red, and black.

What kind of food does a hawksbill turtle eat?

Hawksbills have four scales (two pairs) between their eyes and four scutes along the edge of each side of their carapace. Hawksbill turtles are omnivorous (feeding on both plants and other animals), but their preferred food in many areas is sea sponges.