Hawksbill Sea Turtle

The hawksbill is a sea turtle and the only living species in its genus. It has the flattened body, protective carapace and flipper-like limbs of other sea turtles, but is easily told by its sharp, curving beak and the saw-like edges of its shell. The shell colour shifts slightly with water temperature. Adults typically reach about 1 m in length and around 80 kg (Wikipedia, general species account).

The hawksbill spends part of its life in the open ocean but more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs. Females clear an area of debris, dig a nesting hole with their rear flippers, lay a clutch and cover it with sand. Hawksbills are described as common along the southern Asian coast, including the Indian subcontinental coasts. Hawksbill shell was the main source of the tortoiseshell used for decoration, and trade in the species and its products is regulated under CITES (Wikipedia, general species account).