Blue Season Bali Newsletter September 2010
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Bali Diving - Critter Life
Indonesia is home to six out of seven species of which marine creature?
Hawksbill Turtle
There are in fact only seven species of sea turtles that still exist in the world today and six of them can be found in the waters of Indonesia. We had dive guides come back from Padang Bai saying that they had seen Hawksbill turtles at Jepun just a few days ago, they can also be found at many of the dive sites at Nusa Penida. The Hawksbill turtle's head is elongated and tapers to a point, with a beak-like mouth that gives the species its name. The shape of the mouth allows the hawksbill turtle to reach into holes and crevices of coral reefs to find invertebrates however their main food source are sponges some of which are highly toxic to other organisms, occasionally they will also eat jelly fish as seen on the videao clip below.
Male hawksbills mature when they are about 27 inches (69 cm) long. Females mature at about 31 inches (78 cm) and the age at which turtles reach these lengths are currently unknown. They have been known to reach up to 3ft (1m) in length when fully grown. The females return to the beach where they were born every 2-3 years to nest. They nest at night approximately every 14-16 days during the nesting season and they will generally lay 3-5 nests per season, containing an average of 130 eggs. The sand tracks of the Hawksbill are different to the Green Sea Turtle and the Leatherback turtle in that their tracks are asymmetrical as they crawl on land using alternate front fins, Green Sea Turtle and the Leatherbacks use both front fins at the same time leaving symmetrical tracks.
Incubation takes about two months. The hatchling's gender depends on the sand temperature. Lighter sands maintain higher temperatures, which decreases incubation time and results in more female hatchlings.
The eggs in one nest hatch together over a very short period of time. When ready, hatchlings tear their shells apart with their snout and dig through the sand. Again, this usually takes place at night, when predators such as seagulls are not around. Once they reach the surface, they instinctively head towards the sea. The hatchlings then proceed into the ocean, where a variety of marine predators await them. This is why only few baby turtles survive to grow to maturity. And when they are big and mature enough to go back to the beach to lay eggs, other predators are ready to take them, humans.
Because of this, no wonder that all species of sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered. The Hawksbill in particular is critically endangered; their shells or ‘carapaces’ are used for many kinds of handicrafts and souvenirs. If you want to be involved in turtle conservation, simply do not consume turtle meat, eggs, or buy any souvenirs made from the turtle’s carapace. Remember, if the buying stops, the killing can too.
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