Distribution Worldwide

circumtropical Habitat They live around coastal and coral reefs, rocky areas, estuaries and lagoons. Food Adult hawksbills feed almost primarily on sponges and soft bodied marine invertebrates. Reproduction The mating season varies somewhat with location. They mate bi-yearly in secluded lagoons in remote islands throughout their range. Males lie in wait for the females to return to their beaches. Copulation usually begins in shallow water near the shore. These lagoons are adjacent to prospective nesting beaches. Hawksbill turtles are found in tropical, subtropical and temperate waters in all the oceans of the world. They usually occur from 30 ° N to 30 ° S latitude in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They are the most tropical of all marine turtles. Turtles use different habitats at different stages of their life. In general, they are found in water no deeper than 18.3 m. Hawksbills nest throughout the tropics with significant sites in Australia, the Seychelles, the Caribbean and Mexico. The narrow head and jaws, shaped like a beak, allow it to get food from crevices in coral reefs. They eat sponges, anemones, squid and shrimp. Post hatchlings during their oceanic phase feed on plankton. They are often found floating in masses of sea plants. Although sea turtles live most of their lives in the ocean, adult females must return to beaches on land to lay their eggs. They often travel long distances between foraging grounds and nesting beaches. Nest preparation is an elaborate and time-consuming process. Females first sweep the loose, dry sand away from a nest site. She then uses her rear flippers to dig a hole by alternatively scooping sand with left and right flippers, flinging sand forward with her head. She lays approximately 130 eggs in her nest. The number of eggs relate to body size. A large female may lay 200 eggs. After laying she fills in the chamber and then disguises the nest site. This process lasts between one to three hours. She returns to sea but comes back to repeat this activity 14 days later. She may lay between one and seven c utches per year. l re of th