Hawksbill Turtle Traditional Cache
Turtletoes/Biggie: making room
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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Camoed Peanute Butter Jar. That may or may not have contained Peanute Butter. So please use caution!!!
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Enjoy, Turtletoes/Biggie
100-150 lbs (45-70 kg) for an average adult, but can grow as large as 200 lbs (~90 kg);
hatchlings weigh about 0.5 oz (15 g)
Length: 25-35 inches (65-90 cm) for adults;
hatchlings are 1-2 inches (about 4 cm)
Appearance: top shell (carapace) is dark to golden brown, with streaks of orange, red, and/or black with a serrated back and overlapping "scutes", while the bottom shell (plastron) is clear yellow;
hatchlings are mostly brown
Lifespan: unknown
Diet: sponges and other invertebrates, algae
Behavior: females return to the beaches where they were born (natal beaches) to nest, which occurs every 2-3 years at night and approximately every 14-16 days during the nesting season
The hawksbill turtle is small to medium-sized compared to other sea turtle species.
Their 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 sponges, their primary food source as adults, and other invertebrates.
Hawksbill turtles are unique among sea turtles in that they have two pairs of prefrontal scales on the top of the head and each of the flippers usually has two claws.
Male hawksbills mature when they are about 27 inches (70 cm) long. Females mature at about 30 inches (80 cm). The ages at which turtles reach these lengths are unknown.
Female hawksbills return to the beaches where they were born (natal beaches) every 2-3 years to nest at night approximately every 14-16 days during the nesting season. A female hawksbill generally lays 3-5 nests per season, which contain an average of 130 eggs. Hawksbill turtles usually nest high up on the beach under or in the beach/dune vegetation on both calm and turbulent beaches. They commonly nest on pocket beaches, with little or no sand.
· In the Caribbean, an adult hawksbill eats an average of 1200 lbs (544 kg) of sponges a year!
· Hawksbills are capable of nesting faster than any other species of sea turtles and can complete the entire process in less than 45 minutes.
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