Hawksbill Turtles are regulars on the Great Barrier Reef, as they prefer shallow water or lagoons.

The Hawksbill is a Critically Endangered Animal!

They are easily distinguishable by their sharply curved beak, which resembles like a hawk’s bill.

They glide through the water with effortless ease. Check out this great video of a Hawksbill Turtle on the Great Barrier Reef:

Their preferred food source are sea sponges, which makes them unique in that they are one of the few animals with the ability to eat siliceous organisms. Plus, many of the sea sponges they venture to feed on are extremely toxic and lethal to other animals.

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Family: Cheloniidae
Genus: Eretmochelys
Species: E. imbricata

These turtles have been hunted in Asia fervently for their meat, as well as their shell for decorative purposes. Today, it is illegal to capture or trade the animal or parts of the Hawksbill turtle.

***

I hope you enjoyed this Sea Turtle post on Exotic Animal Lover during Great Barrier Reef Month! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Please be sure to Vote for Me to win the Dream Job of Caretaker of Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia:

Vote 5-Stars for Kimberly!

Technorati Tags: Hawksbill turtle, turtles, sea turtles, endangered animals, Australia animals, Great Barrier Reef, reptiles

Hawksbill Turtles are Regulars on the Great Barrier Reef is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover

Exotic Animal Newsflash:

As of yesterday, January 18th, 2009, the leatherback sea turtle has been moved to the critically endangered list from being only a vulnerable species in Australia.

Photo left: baby leatherback sea turtle

The leatherback sea turtle is the fourth largest reptilians in the world behind 3 crocodilians.

What is most sad about this fact, is that the leatherback is the only species of animal in the genus Dermochelys. Once they’re gone, there’s none left! NONE!

Why Are They In Peril?
Because the eggs and meat are being harvested in waters outside of Australia, which is causing this animal to seriously decline in numbers.

What’s cool about the leatherback is that it doesn’t have a bony shell, it’s covered by skin and oily flesh. That’s why it’s called the leatherback.

Adults are between 1-2 meters long, and weigh anywhere from 250-700 kg! Wow! That’s huge!

The largest one ever recorded was 3 meters long and 916 kg! Crazy huge!

The interesting thing about this turtle is that it has a huge chance of survival as it can inhabit most of the waters on the planet.

It goes to show you what a state our planet is in if they are suffering to such a degree for survival!

***

I hope you find this Turtle post informative on Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. To find out more about the Threat to the Leatherback Turtle, check out this book:

Threat to the Leatherback Turtle $25.06

Technorati Tags: leatherback sea turtle, sea turtle, turtle, leatherback turtle, endangered animals, endangered species, animal news

Leatherback Sea Turtle Placed on Endangered List is a post from: Exotic Animal Lover