Quick answer
Key facts about hawksbill sea turtle — size, diet, habitat, and conservation in one place.
Reef gardener
By eating sponges, hawksbills reduce sponge competition with corals — maintaining reef structure and biodiversity.
Tortoiseshell trade
Beautiful scutes were carved into combs and jewellery — CITES banned international trade but black markets persist in Asia.
Overlapping scutes
Overlapping carapace scutes with serrated edges distinguish hawksbills from smooth-shelled green turtles.
Critical decline
Critically Endangered — over 80% population decline in a century from trade, reef loss, and egg poaching.