Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

IUCN status: Critically Endangered

Hawksbill turtle is medium sized and named because its narrow head and large pointed beak that makes it look like a hawk. Its shell is heart shaped. They are found in tropical and sub tropical sea, around coastal reefs, rocky areas, estuaries and lagoons.

The hawksbill is mainly carnivorous and uses its jaws (shaped like a beak) to get food from crevices in coral reefs.

They eat sponges, anemones, squid and shrimp. Nest at intervals of 2 - 3, or more years, they lay an average 160 eggs in each nest. Hawksbill turtles nest very close to coral reefs, therefore, the known nesting ground in India are the Andaman & Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep atolls.

WWF-India will be focussing on Hawksbill turtle through preliminary data collection in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands in near future.