Hawksbill Sea Turtle Facts
- Hawksbill turtles can weigh 100-200 pounds.
- They can be 30-36 inches long.
- Hawksbill - named for its narrow head and hawk-like beak.
- The hawksbill sea turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae.
Why They are Endangered
Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered because of their beautiful shell. They have been hunted for hundreds of years in huge numbers for the “tortoise shell” that is used in many types of jewelry and trinkets. It is known that harvesting for their shell has resulted in many fewer hawksbill turtles than there were historically. This has been the major cause of the decline in hawksbill populations throughout the world. Hawksbill turtles are also hunted, but to a much lesser degree, for leather, oil, perfume, and for ingredients used in cosmetics. They are rarely hunted for their meat, since their diet of sponges can make their flesh poisonous to eat.
What People Can do to Prevent This Problem
People need to stop hunting them for their shells. You can't really completely stop people from doing this but it should be prohibited. People use the shell for jewelry and trinkets. The hawksbill turtle population has gone down majorly because of this. People also need to stop killing the turtles for leather, oil, and perfume. This harms the turtle population a lot because when people do kill them they kill a lot at one time. It's horrible.