Hawksbill Turtle (species: Eretmochelys imbricata) in Lizard Island Field Guide (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Lizard Island Field Guide > Marine Life > Marine Reptiles > Eretmochelys imbricata (gallery)
Eretmochelys imbricata
Hawksbill Turtle


©Anne Hoggett: Hawksbill Turtle at Lizard Island, carapace length about 60 cm.

©Anne Hoggett: Hawksbill Turtle at Lizard Island, carapace length about 80 cm.

©Anne Hoggett and Stephanie Glover: Hawksbill Turtle at MacGillivray Reef showing the strong beak. Two pairs of plates immediately behind the nostrils can also be seen. Carapace length about 100 cm.

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Testudines
Family Cheloniidae
Genus Eretmochelys
Species Eretmochelys imbricata
Status critically endangered

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Lizard Island Field Guide
Lizard Island area: all known taxa

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Distinguishing features

The Hawksbill Turtle has a strong beak-like snout and two pairs of scales on the head immediately behind the nostrils. These features distinguish it from the Green Turtle, which has a less extravagant snout and only one pair of scales behind the nostrils. Both species have four pairs of "plates" on the shell flanking the midline.

Size

  • Up to 100 cm (carapace length)

Synonyms

Similar taxa

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Local abundance

  • Lizard Island: Second most common turtle in this area after the Green Turtle.

Web resources

References

  • Goatley, C.H.R. (2013). The ecological role of sediments on coral reefs, PhD thesis, James Cook University. LIRS catalog number 1840.
  • Goatley, C.H.R., A.S. Hoey and D.R. Bellwood (2012). The role of turtles as coral reef macroherbivores. PLoS One, 7(6): e39979. LIRS catalog number 1523.
  • Limpus, C.H. (1982). The reptiles of Lizard Island, Herpetofauna, 13(2): 1-6. LIRS catalog number 73.
  • View all references