They have been around for the last 100 million years! Sea turtles have been swimming in the oceans for much longer than humans have walked the earth.Learn more about the Critically Endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle Interesting Endangered Sea Turtle Facts Data on reproductive longevity in Hawksbills are limited, but becoming available with increasing numbers of intensively monitored, long-term projects on protected beaches. Hawksbill Turtles can take 20 to 40 years to mature. In 2001 a IUCN Red List Subcommittee upheld the Critically Endangered listing of the Hawksbill based on ongoing and long-term declines in excess of 80% within three generations. Green Sea Turtles on the other hand are particularly sought for their meat. Hawksbills face multiple, severe threats including the Tortoiseshell Trade, egg collection, slaughter for meat, destructing of nesting and foraging habitat, oil pollution, entanglement and ingestion of marine debris and fishing gear and hybridisation of Hawksbills with other species. This means that North Island typically has nests due to hatch at any time of the year, with the peaks in number of nests due to hatch in February/March (as a result of peak Hawksbill Turtle nesting being recorded in December/January, as well as August/September (as a result of peak Green Turtle nesting being recorded in June/July) Major Threats The incubation period for Hawksbill Turtle nests is +/-60 days, and for Green Turtle nests +/-55 days. – Green Turtle nesting season typically runs from March to October Hatching Months – Hawksbill Turtle nesting season typically runs from October to March Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata): Critically Endangered Nesting Seasons Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas): Endangered There are only 5 populations worldwide with more than 1,000 females nesting annually (WWF). There are difficulties in accurately assessing the global population size of Hawksbill Turtles but a recent estimate of adult nesting females of 8,000+ has been made. We are working to restore and secure the reef system and beaches for continued breeding of endangered sea turtle species. The work we do on North Island in the Seychelles covers a range of conservation orientated projects spanning both terrestrial and marine aspects, but a large focus is the monitoring the endangered Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the critically endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Wildlife ACT’s Work with Endangered Sea Turtles They use their narrow beaks to extract invertebrate prey from crevices on the reef. Hawksbill turtles are mainly carnivorous and appear to be opportunistic predators. This small to medium-sized marine turtle has a thin elongated oval shell with overlapping scutes on the carapace, a relatively small head with a distinctive hawk-like beak, and flippers with two claws. In contrast to all other sea turtle species, Hawksbills nest in low densities on small, scattered beaches. The species is widely distributed in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean. Hawksbill Turtles are part of the cheloniidae family and can be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys Imbricata)
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