The hawksbill sea turtle is not the biggest sea turtle in the ocean. In fact this turtle is one of the smallest sea turtles out of the seven species. The hawksbill turtle actually varies in size, depending on where the turtle lives. For instance, Asian and Pacific hawksbills turtles range in size from 2 to 2 1/2 feet (61 to 76 centimeters) and 75 to 110 pounds (28 to 41 kilograms). 

 

If you were looking to find a hawksbill sea turtle, you would find them in subtropical and tropical seas of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Their habitat is mostly rocky areas, coastal reefs, and lagoons. The hawksbills are mostly found in these areas because the food that they eat lives in these types of areas. The hawksbills feed on sponges, anemones, squid, and shrimp. The cool thing about the hawksbill sea turtle living in these ecosystems is that the hawksbill sea turtles control part of the sponge populations in coral reefs. If the hawksbill sea turtle did not eat the sponges, the sponges would overpopulate. But the hawksbill turtle has to compete with all the other animals in the coral reefs, such as sharks, rays, angle fish, lobsters, conch, sea cucumbers, and sponges.  

 

Hawksbills are going extinct. There is not that many hawksbills left in this world, 80% of these turtles decreased during the past century. Some of the hawksbills predators are the people who hunt the hawksbills for their beautiful shells to make jewelry. Also, some people will try to eat them.

 

While I was researching the hawksbill sea turtle what I thought was interesting was that they will mate in shallow water at nesting beaches but instead of nesting in groups, the turtle will nest individually. And some seasons they will nest about 4-5 times at the average. Also, the hawksbill turtle will go to the shoreline and digs a hole, that's like a nest and lays her eggs in the hole. Then when she's done she covers them back up and returns back to sea.  

   

Bibliography

 

Web Sites

http://www.cccturtle.org/sea-turtle-information.php?page=hawksbill

http://www.nps.gov/archive/pais/website/hawksbill.htm