The Hawksbill Turtle (eretmochelys imbricata) typically occurs in tidal and sub-tidal coral and rocky reef habitats throughout tropical and sub-tropical waters.

Sponges make up a major part of the diet of Hawksbills, although they also feed on seagrasses, algae, soft corals and shellfish.

The Hawksbill turtle has a distinctive parrot-like beak. Other characteristics include:

• 4 pairs or more of large scales on either side (coastal scales)

• Thick overlapping carapace (protective, shell-like covering on the back of the turtle) scales

• Carapace low domed with upturned edges

• Adult carapace approx. 0.8m

• Colour olive grey

In Australia the main feeding area extends along the East Coast, including the Great Barrier Reef. Other feeding areas include Torres Strait and the archipelagos of the Northern Territory and Western Australia, as far south as Coral Bay and Shark Bay.

In Western Australia, Hawksbills generally have smaller annual nesting populations of tens to hundreds of turtles. However, they have an extended nesting period and may nest at any time of the year. Their peak nesting period is between October and February. They often share the nesting beaches mid-season with other species of turtles, but commence breeding much earlier.

Confirmed northern Gascoyne region nesting locations include Ningaloo beaches from the Coral Bay area north to the Muiron Islands. There are no records of Hawksbills nesting at more southerly locations.

As at December 2005, a total of about 2,500 nesting females had been tagged and released for population studies.

There is a widespread belief that the Hawksbill can be poisonous. Australian Aboriginal people believe this, and usually harvest only the eggs at coastal sites. Some minor illegal trade in Hawksbill turtle shells has been detected in recent times but there is now no evidence of organised or substantial trade within Australia. Historic external trade did occur.

This page not only has a lot of information about marine turtles, but have a look at my other related topics including:

• Life-cycle of Marine Turtles

• Green Turtles

• Loggerhead Turtles

• Marine Turtles at Coral Bay, Ningaloo Reef



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Loggerhead Turtles (caretta caretta) are found in coral reefs, bays and estuaries in tropical and subtropical waters around the world; including the coast of Queensland, Northern Territory, New South Wales and Western Australia - including Coral Bay.

Loggerheads are carnivorous, feeding mostly on shellfish, crabs, sea urchins and jellyfish.

Characteristics include:

• 5 pairs (rarely 6) of large scales on each side (coastal scales)

• Carapace (protective, shell-like covering on the back of the turtle) longer than wide

• Adult carapace approx. 1.0m

• Colour red-brown to brown

The loggerhead turtle has lost 50-80% of its annual nesting population in the last decade. Further loss of only hundreds of large loggerhead turtles may threaten the survival of the species in Australia.
In Australia, loggerheads nest on the southern Great Barrier Reef and adjacent mainland coastal areas. Other significant nesting areas are in Western Australia including Murion Island, Ningaloo (Coral Bay) and further south near Shark Bay.

Females originally tagged near the south east Queensland rookeries have been recaptured in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and other parts of Queensland.

Similarly, Loggerheads tagged in Western Australia have been recaptured in the Northern Territory, Indonesia and other parts of Western Australia.

Loggerhead turtles nest from late October, reaching a peak in late December and finish nesting in late February. Hatchlings emerge from nests from late December until about April with most hatching from February to early March.

The loggerhead is one of the more visible turtles on the lower west coast of Western Australia, with resident adult and large sub-adult turtles sometimes found in the Perth region. Small young-of-the year (post-hatchling) loggerheads from the Gascoyne region breeding beaches are also regularly washed ashore during winter-early spring after westerly storms around the south and lower western coasts of Western Australia.

The main threat to Western Australian coastal-nesting loggerhead turtles is the risk of predation of nests and hatchlings by foxes which invaded the Ningaloo coast in the 1940s and early 1950s. Fox baiting programs implemented at Ningaloo coast nesting beaches have reduced nest predation rates. Continuing enhanced reproductive success resulting from the fox-baiting programs will potentially assist recovery of numbers in the Ningaloo Coast area.

There are however unresolved regional commercial trawl and longline fisheries interaction problems of the past that affected all populations.

Disturbance to mainland nesting loggerheads from vehicles driving on beaches and uncontrolled tourist interactions also occurs.

This page not only has a lot of information about marine turtles, but have a look at my other related topics including:

• Life-cycle of Marine Turtles

• Green Turtles

• Marine Turtles at Coral Bay,Ningaloo Reef

• Hawksbill Turtles



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Green Turtles (chelonia mydas) are found worldwide in tropical and sub-tropical waters in seaweed-rich coral reefs and inshore seagrass pastures. Adult greens feed mostly on seaweeds and seagrasses although immature greens are carnivorous.

Characteristics include:

• 4 pairs of large scales on either side (coastal scales)

• Does not have thick overlapping scales

• Carapace protective, shell-like covering on the back of the turtle)high domed

• Adult carapace approx. 1.0m

• Colour light to dark green with dark mottling

There are seven distinct genetic stocks in Australia, including the Coral Bay area with the coastal North-West Shelf stock off the Pilbara coast being the largest group found in Western Australia.

There are between 20,000-30,000 Green turtles in Western Australia - being the most common species of turtle in WA.

The numbers of Green turtles that nest each season in Western Australia is affected by the El Nino, so numbers visiting a breeding beach can vary between a few dozens to hundreds in very poor seasons and many thousands during the good season. Their nesting areas are found on the sandy mainland beaches of the Ningaloo and in season you can book an extra tour to see this.

Resident adult greens can be seen along the edge of the reefs and cliffs at Coral Bay. You can take a stroll along the beach, following the lagoon, for about 2km and there are a couple of wonderful areas on the rocks where you can sit and watch them. As part of your 11 day tour, if you choose to go on the quad bike tour, this includes viewing the turtles. There is also a chance you will see one just snorkelling at the main beach in Coral Bay.

The larger sized, mainly female adult turtles are harvested for food by Aboriginal people living along the northern coast. If turtle eggs are readily accessible, they will also be collected. Expatriate Torres Strait Islanders and other Indigenous 'salt-water' people living off-country in Western Australian communities such as the Dampier-Karratha area are also known to be hunters of green turtles.
Indonesian fishers are also known exploiters of green turtles in Australian waters.

Legal commercial turtle harvesting took place in Western Australia from as early as 1870. Between 1931 and 1936 a turtle soup factory operated at Cossack (near Karratha). It is estimated that up to 2,500 large green turtles were taken annually from around the Dampier Archipelago and Montebello Islands. In the 1940's-1950's an unregulated green turtle harvest continued to supply soup canneries in Perth and Cossack.

Between 1958 and 1973, a commercial turtle fishery authorised by State fisheries legislation operated along the north-west coast. Green turtles were taken for harvest from Coral Bay to the Montebello Islands. It is estimated that at least 60,000 green turtles were caught. Commercial products were exported to mainly European markets.

Migrating adult greens are known to cross international boundaries. For example, breeding female green turtles tagged and released from nesting beaches in Western Australia have been captured in Indonesia.

This page not only has a lot of information about marine turtles, but have a look at my other related topics including:

• Life-cycle of Marine Turtles

• Marine Turtles at Coral Bay, Ningaloo Reef

• Loggerhead Turtles

• Hawksbill Turtles



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