Turtles
Hawksbill Turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata · Marine reptile — family Cheloniidae
Every reef diver's favorite worker, the hawksbill is a compact turtle with a raptor's beak, tortoiseshell shingles overlapping down its back, and no time to waste. You hear one before you see it — the rasp and crunch of a sponge being demolished — then find the animal head-down in a crevice, hind flippers braced, scattering fragments for the wrasses that attend it. That tortoiseshell, amber marbled with black, drove centuries of harvest for combs and spectacle frames and pushed the species to Critically Endangered; trade is banned now, and reefs from Cozumel to Sipadan still offer daily audiences with the survivor.
Onde e quando ver um
"Residente" significa que a maioria dos mergulhos naquele destino os encontra; "sazonal" significa presença confiável nos meses listados; qualquer outra coisa é um bônus, não um plano.
| Destino | Fiabilidade | Meses | Notas |
|---|---|---|---|
| CozumelMexico | Resident — seen on most dives | Todo o ano | |
| BonaireBonaire | Resident — seen on most dives | Todo o ano | |
| Sharm El Sheikh & Ras MohammedEgypt | Resident — seen on most dives | Todo o ano | |
| Tubbataha ReefsPhilippines | Resident — seen on most dives | Mar–Jun | |
| SeychellesSeychelles | Resident — seen on most dives | Oct–Feb |
Melhor mês, em resumo
| Mês | Destinos fiáveis |
|---|---|
| January | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed · Seychelles |
| February | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed · Seychelles |
| March | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed · Tubbataha Reefs |
| April | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed · Tubbataha Reefs |
| May | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed · Tubbataha Reefs |
| June | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed · Tubbataha Reefs |
| July | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed |
| August | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed |
| September | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed |
| October | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed · Seychelles |
| November | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed · Seychelles |
| December | Cozumel · Bonaire · Sharm El Sheikh & Ras Mohammed · Seychelles |
Entendendo-os
Habitat: Coral reefs above all — forages among sponges on walls and ledges, resting in crevices
Distribuição: Circumtropical, tied tightly to coral reef systems of the Caribbean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Coral Triangle, and Pacific
Comportamento: The busiest of the turtles: where greens graze placidly, hawksbills work the reef like foragers on a deadline, tearing at sponges with the hooked beak, wedging under plate corals, surfacing briefly and diving back to the job. Usually solitary and often indifferent to a quiet diver at close range.
Dieta: A sponge specialist — one of very few vertebrates that can live on toxic reef sponges — plus tunicates, anemones, and jellyfish
Tamanho: normalmente cerca de 0.8 m; documentado até 1.0 m (carapace length).
Como se comportar perto de um
Stay off the reef while watching one feed, no touching or trailing a foraging animal from above, and let it breathe unobstructed — hawksbills spook if boxed against the wall.
Conservação
Critically Endangered after centuries of tortoiseshell trade; CITES bans the trade and many nesting beaches are guarded, but illegal trinket sales persist — buy nothing made of shell.
Pontos mapeados conhecidos por eles
Assista
Dos canais oficiais
Best Places to Dive with Whale Sharks
Outrageously Tiny Fish
Sink or Swim? with Monét X Change | Monterey Bay Aquarium
Os vídeos são links incorporados dos próprios canais dos criadores — não hospedamos nada e creditamos tudo.