Hawksbill turtle

Meylan, A. (1990). Nutritional characteristics of the sponges in the diet of the hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata. In New Perspectives in Sponge Biology", (K. Rutzler, Ed.), pp. 472-477. Smithsonian, Institution Press, Washington, DC. 

Tortoiseshell is the name given to the mottled, golden or reddish and brown, translucent, homy plates or scutes covering the shells of certain species of marine turtle. The best known and by far the finest tortoiseshell comes from the hawksbill turtle, but the scutes of the green and the loggerhead turtles have also been put to some decorative uses. 

Figure 8.1 Female hawksbill turtle returning to the sea after laying eggs. Barbados.

Figure 8.2 Blond scutes on ihe plastron of a hawksbill turtle.

Figure 8.3 Overlapping scutes on the carapace of a u ged hawksbill turtle.

The hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbracata, grow the best tortoiseshell. They get their name from the narrow, hooked, beak-like appearance of their mouths. They live aroimd coral reefs but can travel long distances, as has been proved by turtles that have been tagged and tracked using satellite transmitters. Hawksbills are fotmd worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters, and they feed primarily on sponges. 

The following applies mostly to tortoiseshell om the hawksbill turtle, as that from the green and loggerhead is thin and more britde, and takes less easily to the various treatments. 

No difforentiatiQn is made here between the three types of tortoiseshell, since any imitation would automatically be of that from the hawksbill turtle. 

Today some countries still allow fishing of hawksbill turtles for their shell, though thanks to closed seasons and other types of management, the amount fished is greatly reduced. Most of the CITES signatories respect the total ban on the international trade of marine turtles or their parts. Thus, although it may be possible to purchase items made from tortoiseshell in, for example, the Far East, it is not permissible to import them into Europe, America, and many other countries. 

The scutes of all types of terrapins, turtles and tortoises have been tried out at one time or another as a form of tortoiseshell, but without success. Unfortunately not much was known about the different species, and, as some of them were able to regrow scutes that had fallen off, it was presumed that hawksbill turtles would also be able to do so. 

Witzell, W. N., 1983, Synopsis of biological data on the Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766), FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 137. 

Tortoiseshell derived from the hawksbill is very versatile and can be used in numerous ways, unlike that of the other turtle species, where it is much thinner and so has very limited use. 

Turtle farming has been attempted in the Cayman Islands, but with little success for the hawksbill. There has been much more success with green turtles, but although the shell is thicker than that of wild green turtles, the material is not of very good quality and it tends to crack. It also has a high salt content, which makes it imsuitable for moulding. 

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