Hawksbill
Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate)
The Hawksbill Sea
Turtle is scientifically known as Eretmochelys imbricate, and this species is
critically endangered. It is called the “Hawksbill” Sea Turtle because it has a
long, narrow and pointed beak, just like a hawk. These turtles are typically 30-35
inches long and weigh between 90 and 150 pounds. These turtles can be found in
the world’s tropical oceans, but they mainly will be able to be found in coral
reefs. Some of the things that they eat include sea sponges, sea anemones, and
jellyfish. All sea turtles are important because they maintain the status of
coral reefs and the grass beds that are found in coral reefs; and they have
been doing this for the last 100 years, according to scientists! The sea
turtles eat the sea sponges, which are prey, and that gives reef fish more
opportunity to get food. Also, these turtles provide a good flow of tourists,
because lots of people come to their habitats to observe their natural beauty.
Some specific places that they can be found include the Mesoamerican Reef,
Coastal East Africa, and the Coral Triangle.
One
of the main reasons that these turtles are critically endangered is that they
have very colorful and beautifully textured shells. This is bad because people
hunt them, and their shells are sold in markets. These turtles are protected
under several laws, but people continue to break these laws in order to sell
their shells as decoration and jewelry. Also, sea turtles can accidentally get
stuck in nets or on fishing hooks, and this prevents them from reaching the
surface of the ocean, which is what they need to do in order to breathe and
continue living. These turtles have been listed as endangered since June 2nd
of 1970, and this is definitely due to all of the demand for their shells in
trading markets.
The
reason that I decided to choose the Hawksbill Sea Turtle for this paper is
because when I saw that it was a sea turtle, I knew I had to choose it. Two
years ago, I went on vacation to Daytona Beach, and I would walk along the
beach every night. One night, I heard a sliding sound coming from far away, so
I ran to it, and it was a huge sea turtle! I was amazed by its beauty, and it
really upsets me that people would kill an innocent animal just to trade its
shell. I feel like if this species went extinct, it would negatively effect
tropical oceans greatly. Obviously, coral reefs’ health would diminish if the
sea turtles weren’t around to maintain the healthy balance of predators and
prey. Also, income due to tourism would decrease as well.
Sources:
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