Hawksbill Sea Turtle - Eretmochelys imbricata - Raising its Head above the Reef

A Hawksbill Sea Turtle raises its head above a shallow reef, revealing its distinctive hooked beak and beautifully patterned face.

The Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) has a streamlined body protected by an oval carapace and powerful paddle-like flippers. Its most distinctive feature is the narrow head with a strongly pointed, hooked beak, which allows it to reach food hidden within cracks and crevices of coral and rocky reefs. The carapace is typically patterned in shades of amber, brown, yellow and black, with overlapping scutes creating a characteristic tiled appearance. Hawksbills inhabit tropical and subtropical coastal waters, particularly coral reefs, rocky reefs and lagoons, where they feed mainly on sponges together with other marine invertebrates and algae. Adults generally reach about 60–90 centimetres in shell length. This photograph captures the turtle raising its head while resting among coral rubble on a shallow reef.