Skip to main content

Hawksbill Turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

Photo by anneastorga
Published on Project Noah
Zoom
NominateNominate for Wildlife Photograph of the Month
reportFlag Spotting

-8.3537, 116.059

Field Notes

Description:

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Pacific subspecies.
The hawksbill's appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. It has a generally flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like arms, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. E. imbricata is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, and the saw-like appearance of its shell margins. Hawksbill shells slightly change colors, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (4)

Hi anneastorga. Your spotting is featured in the new PN blog post via a link! http://projectnoah.tumblr.com/post/58511189211/the-wildlife-of-indonesia Cheers
While this spotting is from the island of Lombok, it seems the software has mistakenly labeled this as Mataram, Bali. Mataram is a city on Lombok. Bali is the (large) island west of the spotting on the map.
Photographed
PublishedFebruary 21, 2013

Accelerate our Mission to Photograph 
Every Species in the World!

Image
Butterflies icon

Wildlife Community

Wildlife Community

Join a worldwide community passionate about wildlife and nature!

Join Project Noah

Nature School

Nature School

Transform your green space into a curiosity-creating nature classroom!

Visit Nature School

Wildlife Game

Wildlife Game

Defend wildlife throughout the jungle in thrilling nature game!

Play Baboon