Distribution ; (1) Foraging areas. The hawksbill is a 

 definite tropical species, whose feeding grounds are most often 

 associated with coral reefs. On such reefs, juveniles of all 

 sizes (except iitunediately post-hatchling animals) may be seen, 

 although adults are relatively rarely seen. This apparent 

 population structure may simply reflect the accessibility of the 

 juvenile stages of the hawksbill, which in several other species 

 (especially the leatherback and the olive ridley) remain well 

 hidden in unknown habitats. In the western Atlantic, many of the 

 reefs of the Caribbean, the southern Gulf of Mexico, and the 

 Bahamas will have at least a few resident hawksbills. The 

 northernmost area in which the species may be seen regularly is 

 the reef system adjacent to Palm Beach, Florida, where divers 

 have observed certain individuals for several seasons. 



(2) Nesting areas. The hawksbill is tropical in its 

 nesting as well as its foraging habits, and almost no nests have 

 been found outside the tropics except for a handful in Florida. 

 Nesting, in contrast to that of most sea turtle species, is not 

 colonial, except perhaps for minor concentrations on the coast of 

 Campeche, Mexico. More typically, individuals nest one-by-one on 

 small island beaches, or sometimes alongside more abundant 

 species on mainland beaches including Tortuguero, Costa Rica, or 

 Almond Beach, Guyana. Nesting is usually nocturnal, although 

 diurnal nesting has been observed in Guyana and is apparently 

 standard in the Seychelles (Indian Ocean) . 



Food habits ; The hawksbill is a rather specialized feeder, 

 individuals in the typical reef habitat utilizing the narrowness 

 of the head and the extended beak to remove sponges, which 

 apparently constitute the preferred food, from niches and 

 crevices. Various species of sponge have been reported in the 

 diet of the hawksbill, but one of the most common is Geodia 

 qibberosa . In addition, representatives of a number of other 

 phyla of marine invertebrates may be incorporated in the diet; 

 these include Bryozoa, Coelenterata, Mollusca, Platyhelminthes, 

 and Urochordata. 



Post-hatchling hawksbills show a marked preference for 

 Sargassum, and possibly this material, which forms huge floating 

 rafts in some areas of the ocean, provides food as well as 

 habitat for neonate hawksbills. 



Reproductive ecology ; Allusion has already been made to the 

 non-colonial, usually nocturnal nesting habits of the hawksbill 

 turtle. Emerging females are relatively agile and fast-moving on 

 land, progressing by means of alternating movements of the limbs 

 and utilizing the relatively long and flexible neck to search for 

 signs of danger. The beach-track may be long and meandering, and 

 quite often reveals evidence of "trial nestings" — partial, 

 abandoned nesting pits. Quite frequently, the actual nesting 

 site is shaded by dense vegetation, which may have interesting 



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