thermal implications; the influence of temperature upon the sex 

 of hatchling hawksbills has not yet been clarified. 



Clutch size is high. Nests with more than 200 eggs are 

 found quite frequently, and in extreme cases as many as 250 may 

 be laid. The eggs are about 3.8 to 4.0 cm in diameter. Multiple 

 nesting within a season has been recorded; on occasions, 

 individuals may even nest 4-6 times, but 2-3 appears to be more 

 common. Internesting intervals are most commonly in the 16-20 

 day range, and in cases where turtles were observed to re-nest 

 after 32 or more days, an intervening nesting emergence was 

 assumed to have occurred but was unwitnessed. 



The hawksbill is often assumed to be a non-migratory 

 species, in view of the observed close proximity between known 

 nesting areas and known foraging habitat. However, this 

 assumption is not entirely justified, and many cases are on 

 record of long-distance migration by post-nesting hawksbills. 

 Nevertheless, this species is probably less migratory than most 

 of all other sea turtle species. 



Major threats to survival ; The diffuse nesting habits of 

 the hawksbill make systematic exploitation of the nesting females 

 difficult, but simultaneously they render conservation patrols 

 not cost-effective in most areas, and even when the nesting 

 turtle escapes, the eggs are commonly taken by man. The 

 hawksbill is edible, and is even the preferred turtle species in 

 a few areas (such as Cayman Brae or Old Providence Island) , 

 although in some parts of the range (especially in the Indian 

 Ocean) the occasional hawksbill is virulently poisonous. 



While the capture of hawksbills for meat is somewhat 

 desultory, the killing of specimens of almost any size for their 

 commercially valuable scutes is widespread. Possibly the species 

 could tolerate a modest take for the use of specialized artisans, 

 who for centuries have made jewelry and curios out of the thick, 

 decorative scutes of the hawksbill. However, when the new vogue 

 for entire, stuffed, mostly juvenile hawksbills is added to this 

 traditional usage, the results are likely to be catastrophic. 

 The species is now considered endangered throughout its world 

 range, and the single most significant reason for this is the new 

 and extremely widespread waste of turtles for the international 

 tourist trade. 



The Olive Ridley ( Lepidochelvs olivacea ) 



Morphology ; The olive ridley is the smallest of the sea 

 turtles, adults being around 60-70 cm in carapace length, and 

 weighing about 40 kg. In shape, the adult is very wide-shelled, 

 the carapace typically having flat, sloping sides and a rather 

 flat top. Hatchlings are uniformly charcoal-gray, and immature 



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