page_title: Hawksbill sea turtle
section_title: Distribution
hierarchical_section_title: Hawksbill sea turtle / Distribution
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Lieux de pontes de tortues à écailles&#160;: point rouge=lieux de pontes principaux, point jaune=lieux de pontes. English: Nesting location of Hawksbill sea Turtle&#160;: red dot = major nesting locations, yellow dot=minor nesting locations
context_page_description: The hawksbill sea turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Indo-Pacific subspecies—E. i. imbricata and E. i. bissa, respectively.
  The hawksbill's appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. In general, it has a flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like limbs, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. E. imbricata is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, and the saw-like appearance of its shell margins. Hawksbill shells slightly change colors, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs. The World Conservation Union, primarily as a result of human fishing practices, classifies E. imbricata as critically endangered. Hawksbill shells were the primary source of tortoiseshell material used for decorative purposes.
context_section_description: Hawksbill sea turtles have a wide range, found predominantly in tropical reefs of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. Of all the sea turtle species, E. imbricata is the one most associated with warm tropical waters. Two major subpopulations are known, in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific.
caption: Another model of the possible distribution of E. imbricata: Red circles represent known major nesting sites. Yellow circles are minor nesting sites.
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