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Hawksbill turtle
Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Ranger measuring a hawksbill turtle's carapace while it is nesting on a beach. The turtle is a wholly aquatic reptile, with the females only coming ashore to lay their eggs. Between 100 and 180 eggs are laid in a pit dug in the sand with the turtle's flippers. The eggs hatch about 2 months later. These eggs will be removed from the nest and placed in a hatchery to protect them from being dug up by predators, or other nesting turtles. The hawksbill is a small turtle, with its carapace reaching about 80 centimetres in length. The loss of nesting beaches, due to development, and the effects of hunting and pollution have endangered the leatherback turtle. Photographed in Pulau Gulisan, Sabah, Malaysia.
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