Hawksbill turtle - Ecology & Habitat
Dispersed nesting, vulnerable colonies
BreedingNesting occurs widely throughout the range, but tends to be more dispersed than in other species. There are seldom more than a few hundred nests on a single beach, and few major colonial nesting beaches. It has been suggested that this is simply a result of centuries of over-exploitation.
The hawksbill appears to nest every two to three years and lays 60 to 200 eggs at a time. Nesting is mainly seasonal and varies with the location of the nesting beach. Year-round nesting has been recorded in some localities. The hawksbill often nests close to coral reefs, and can be encountered by snorkellers and scuba-divers at localities where turtle habitat is in good condition.
Diet
Hawksbill turtles are mainly carnivorous and use their narrow beaks to extract invertebrate prey from crevices on the reef. Both sessile and mobile animals are eaten and hawksbills appear to be opportunistic predators, although sponges normally constitute a major proportion of their diet.