Hawksbill
Sea Turtle - Eretmochelys imbricate
Many folks consider the hawksbill turtle the
most beautiful sea turtle in the world. Its Hawaiian name
is 'ea. Pacific Islanders have used the hawksbill's shell
to make fish hooks, and utilize the turtles bones to make
tools. Eggs were consumed while other parts of the animal
were used medicinally. Native Hawaiian used hawksbill 'tortoise
shell' to fabricate hair ornaments, jewelry, and decorative
and practical items.
The name hawksbill comes from the turtle’s
hawk-like beak. The hawksbill is a medium sized turtle weighing
between 95 and 160 pounds and reaching a length of approximately
three feet. Exploitation continues in some countries and
this extremely rare sea turtle is threatened with extinction.
Leatherback
Sea Turtle - Dermochelys coriacea
The world’s largest turtle, weighing
up to 2000 pounds and measuring 4 to 8 feet in length, the
Leatherback Sea Turtle is a pelagic wanderer and inhabits
offshore Hawaiian waters and oceans around the globe. They
have the most extensive range of any reptile. Leatherback
shells are not hard like other sea turtles. Separated by
keels or ridges, the Leatherback’s barrel-shaped bodies
are divided into sections. Their leathery skin is supported
by thousands of tiny bones, embedded in cartilage.
Spending most of their lives living a pelagic
lifestyle they live in deep ocean waters and eat jellyfish
and other marine invertebrates. They reportedly eat twice
their own weight each day! Unfortunately, in this constant
quest for food, they mistake plastic bags and balloons for
their natural diet. Ingesting plastic debris obstructs their
digestive system and can kill them. Leatherbacks can dive
the deepest or all sea turtles, and stay down the longest.
They have been tracked diving 1200 meters (3,937 feet) below
sea level.
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