turtle
Hawksbill turtle.
Eretmochelys imbricata · also: Hawksbill sea turtle
Named for its narrow, raptor-like beak, the hawksbill is the reef's sponge specialist, threading into crevices bulkier turtles can't reach. Its amber-and-brown "tortoiseshell" shell is also its curse — centuries of trade drove it to the brink. It is one of few reptiles that eats toxic sponges, storing the toxins so its own flesh becomes poisonous.
Size
~90 cm carapace, up to ~80 kg
Weight
Typically ~45–70 kg; large individuals over 80 kg.
Diet
Mainly sponges, plus anemones, jellyfish, molluscs and algae.
Lifespan
Matures at 20–40 years; estimated 50–100+ years.
Depth
Typically foraging 8–20 m; dives to ~90 m.
Reproduction
Nests every 2–3 years, 3–6 clutches of ~130–140 eggs; ~60-day, temperature-dependent incubation.
Snorkel or dive
Snorkel + dive
Best season
Year-round; nesting peaks Jun–Sep
Conservation
Critically Endangered
How to recognise it
Narrow pointed hawk-like beak; overlapping scutes giving a serrated rear shell edge.
Behaviour
Reef-associated; forages on sponges among coral; curious and tolerant of snorkellers.
Where to see it in the Maldives
The turtle most reliably seen on resort house reefs across all atolls (N/S Malé, Ari, Baa).
Recorded at
Atolls
Conservation
Tortoiseshell trade, egg/meat harvest, reef and beach loss, plastic, entanglement.
IUCN · Critically Endangered
Watch them responsibly
Keep a low, calm profile and never block its path to the surface to breathe; observe, don't touch.
Their sponge-heavy diet can make their flesh toxic to humans.
Critically Endangered — roughly 8,000 nesting females are thought to remain worldwide.
Collective noun: a bale of turtles
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More turtles
Sightings are typical, not guaranteed — encounters vary with season and conditions.