Hawksbill sea turtle
The hawksbill sea turtle (scient. Eretmochelys imbricata) is an endangered sea turtle species found primarily in tropical seas. Some of them (very few) have been met in the open sea south of Crete and in other Mediterranean areas.
The hawksbill sea turtle is perhaps the most beautiful sea turtle and is named “tileturtle” by Greeks because its shell is composed of scutes that resemble tiles. The carapace has a length of up to 110cm and weighs 125kg. It feeds mainly on jellyfish and other marine invertebrates. However it is omnivorous species, as the juvenile turtles seem to prefer algae.
Females approach the coasts every 2-6 years, digging deep pits into the sand and lay 50-200 eggs, up to 4 times in the same reproductive period. The eggs hatch after about 2 months.
The hawksbill sea turtles are eaten in some countries. Moreover, their carapace is the main source of articles of natural celluloid. Hence, fishermen often kill them or remove their carapaces while still alive. These practices threaten E. imbricata populations with extinction.
